Thread by @TheAtlantic

1/6 Who is Boris Johnson, really—and what does he stand for? Here’s what the prime minister had to say to @tommctague in a profile his then-director of communications advised him not to do: on.theatln.tc/mRLeF9X

2/6 McTague asked Johnson, a former journalist, to imagine that he was a writer again: How would he open this profile? What is the key to understanding Boris Johnson? After a few ums and ahs, Johnson replied: “Sheer physical fitness. And hard work.” on.theatln.tc/mRLeF9X

3/6 Rereading Johnson’s old columns, McTague noted that the prime minister’s work was far less hostile to Europe than one might imagine. So he asked Johnson what changed:

4/6 Johnson wants to offer people a sense of optimism, McTague writes. “Nothing can go wrong!” the prime minister told him while jumping into the driver’s seat of a tram he was about to take for a test ride. “Nothing. Can. Go. Wrong.” on.theatln.tc/mRLeF9X

5/6 He is also calculating, McTague writes, and understands the importance of shaping perceptions:

6/6 But figuring out what Johnson truly believes, McTague writes, is no mean feat: on.theatln.tc/mRLeF9X