DAVID Cameron thought Barack Obama was one of the “most narcissistic, self-absorbed people” he ever met, according to a former Downing Street strategist.
Steve Hilton, who was a senior adviser to Mr Cameron during the 2010 General Election campaign, made the unexpected claim on his new TV show on the American network Fox News.
The revelation comes as a shock after it was previously believed the pair had a good personal relationship.
However, giving his insight into the former Prime Minister’s thoughts, Mr Hilton said: “As for Obama, all I can tell you is my old boss, former British prime minister David Cameron, thought Obama was one of the most narcissistic, self-absorbed people he’d ever dealt with.”
On his Next Revolution show, the Conservative also said that Mr Cameron blamed the ex-US President for the rise of ISIS, citing his unwillingness to listen to other people.
He added: “Obama never listened to anyone, always thought he was smarter than every expert in the room and treated every meeting as an opportunity to lecture everyone else.
“This led to real world disasters like Syria and the rise of ISIS, but the real world doesn’t matter to the elites – for them it’s all about style and tone, not substance and results.”
The account of the relationship between the two world leaders sits in stark contrast to the image portrayed by the couple while they were both in office.
Obama described Mr Cameron as a “great friend” and “outstanding partner” during the latter’s visit to Washington DC in 2015.
He said: “Put simply, David is a great friend. He is one of my closest and most trusted partners in the world.
“On many of the most pressing challenges that we face we see the world the same way.
“Great Britain is our indispensable partner, and David has been personally an outstanding partner – and I thank you for your friendship.”
However, Obama also revealed in an interview in 2016 that he had been frustrated with the UK leader for failing to get a Commons majority in 2013 and for backing military action against the Syrian regime after it used chemical weapons.
He also criticised Mr Cameron for how quickly he stopped paying attention to Libya as he was “distracted by a range of other things.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mr Cameron has completely denied Mr Hilton’s take on events.
He said: “David Cameron’s views on President Obama – whether in public or in private – are the same: he considers Barack Obama a hugely accomplished president, a great partner for Britain and a good friend to our country and to him personally.”
Source: adomonline.com