Watching a young Democrat from Tempe, Arizona being interviewed on the @KayBurley show just now reminded me of a story about a fraught moment when Gordon Brown was visiting the White House in 2008. A short #ElectionDay thread. 1/7

In April 2008 I was with PM Gordon Brown visiting President Bush at the White House. It was a stressful visit: trying to prove the Bush-Brown relationship was good to a sceptical press, while trying to manage a Labour rebellion over the ending of the 10p tax rate back home. 2/7

The meeting with Bush was good but throughout we were looking at our BlackBerrys under the table, reading anxious texts from colleagues in No.10 about unhappy MPs, some threatening to resign, wanting or needing a conversation with Gordon. Bush realised we had domestic issues. 3/7

After the meeting we had a press conference in the White House Rose Garden. A beautiful day. All went well. Then Gordon was asked about the 10p tax. Bush helpfully interjected to take the focus away, but eventually Gordon gave a long, very good though slightly tetchy answer. 4/7

Bush & Brown walked back into the Oval Office from the Rose Garden & we, the minions, followed. Gordon was understandably annoyed that 10p had clouded the White House moment. Bush was sitting on the edge of his desk, handing out chewing gum to each of us as we walked past. 5/7

As my colleagues & I got our gum from the President, Bush said: “What’s all this about 10p? Is that Tempe, Arizona?” We duly laughed, because even though it was a dad joke, it was the President’s dad joke. But what he was trying to do was calm us down, lighten the load a bit. 6/7

That’s when I got why George W. Bush, whose policy & Iraq War I deeply opposed, won. Twice. He had the touch. The relationship with Pres Bush was hugely problematic for us. But Trump has taken the problematic of the President-PM relationship to new heights. 10p was moons ago. 7/7