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The coincidence of the Trump visit and the Tory leadership election has shone a bright light on the state of British politics. Not everyone is emerging unscathed. A vacuum at the top,

politicians vying to impress or denounce the royal guest, and ugly scenes outside Parliament: our capital has hardly capitalised on a spectacle watched avidly by the American public. The

President, meanwhile, effortlessly towered over his British counterparts. The press conference at which he marked the Conservative hopefuls out of ten, as a gaunt and diminished Theresa May

smiled wanly, was uncomfortable to watch. Those who got a name check — “Boris”, “Jeremy” and “Michael” — came out better than those who smugly insisted that they would not offer NHS

contracts to American healthcare providers. In fact, patients here already benefit hugely from drugs developed in the US and it is foolish to resist the globalisation of medicine. But such

subliminal anti-Americanism paled into insignificance compared to the sight of Jeremy Corbyn and Emily Thornberry ranting in Trafalgar Square about the racism and misogyny of Donald Trump.

Since when did the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Foreign Secretary think that was a proper way to behave during a state visit? It was hard to quarrel with Donald Trump’s

description of Corbyn as a “negative force”. As for turning down the latter’s request for a meeting: the President was bound to take the Labour leader’s refusal to attend the Queen’s banquet

amiss, and was hardly likely to relish the prospect of being insulted to his face. And as for Ms Thornberry: she has done nothing to enhance her chances of succeeding Corbyn. Neither seems

aware of how they look to the outside world, far beyond their Islington playground. The frightening forces that their rabble-rousing could unleash were also on display, however. Incidents of

mob violence in Parliament Square were caught and instantly relayed via social media. The sheer hatred manifested by the anti-Trump brigade (who mustered fewer than a tenth of the 250,000

mass protest they had promised) was emphatically not the face of Britain that we wish to present. This week the British learned less about Trump than we did about ourselves. Above all, it

has brought home to the Tories the urgency with which the vacancy in Downing Street must be filled. At a hustings last night, Boris Johnson took the risk of ruling out a deal with Nigel

Farage’s Brexit Party. His boast that he alone has the charisma to “take on Farage” and “put him back in his box” will very probably be tested. It will take more than a haircut or a makeover

to subdue the man who made Brexit happen. The Tories have been mesmerised by the Farage phenomenon for nearly a decade now. Comparing him to a jack-in-a-box suggests that Johnson still

hasn’t got the measure of the task he faces. Nevertheless, the Trump week has been a good one for the Boris camp. The irruption of this force of nature from the West Wing has reminded the

Conservative Party of what a big beast really looks like. Michael Gove, the only other candidate with reliable name recognition, is less popular with Tory MPs as well as the party and the

public — so far. He has 26 endorsements compared to about 40 for Johnson. If Gove is to prevent the leadership election turning into a coronation of Tsar Boris, he needs to play to his

greatest strengths: his courage and his intelligence. As an orator, Gove is unsurpassed in the present Commons. His track record as a Cabinet minister is second to none. On Brexit, however,

he has yet to demonstrate a sure touch. Unless he can do so by the end of next week, this contest will be over long before the official date of July 23. Indeed, the next Prime Minister will

probably have emerged by the end of June. We have always known that Boris’s boundless confidence was likely to carry the day. Only he looks capable of taking on Trump. But is there anyone to

take him on?