Logan Dinkins, Contributing Photographer

Boris Johnson, a former Conservative prime minister of the United Kingdom, spoke to Yale students Thursday evening about the importance of the Anglo-American alliance.

In the same talk, Johnson praised President Donald Trump and urged students to defend academic freedom and free speech. He contrasted American and British universities with those in “Moscow, Pyongyang, Tehran or Beijing.” 

“The difference between our universities and those universities around the world is absolutely fundamental because our universities — Oxford, Yale — these are places of academic freedom,” Johnson said. “And intellectual freedom is the root of all creativity and prosperity and, as I’ve argued to you before, there’s nowhere, if you look at the record, where that spirit blazes more brightly than Yale University.”

Johnson also discussed foreign policy, arguing that the United States and the United Kingdom should stand up together against what he described as autocratic states. His wide-ranging speech also touched on topics ranging from the Israel-Hamas war to how the Boston Tea Party relates to Brexit.

The event was organized by the Buckley Institute and the Young America’s Foundation. The Buckley Institute brands itself as the “only organization dedicated to promoting intellectual diversity and free speech at Yale.”

Around 400 people attended the talk, which took place in Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall’s large lecture space. The event was accompanied by heavy security: Attendees were scanned by metal detectors upon entrance, and liquids, foods and bags were prohibited.

Introduced by William Barbee ’26, the president of the Buckley Institute’s student program, Johnson started his speech by praising Yale’s “amazing record” of intellectual prudence and alumni distinction, including William Howard Taft to Hillary Clinton — “and JD Vance,” he added enthusiastically. The Western liberal intelligentsia has lost its models, Johnson said, and an institution like Yale could provide inspiration.

The former British prime minister also condemned pro-Palestinian protests, which he said go against Israel’s “legitimate attempts” to stop attacks like that of Oct. 7, 2023, from happening again. He also condemned Russia, China and North Korea for their involvement in the war in Ukraine. After more than three years of the Ukrainian war, Johnson added, the West is “doing nothing like enough to prove Putin wrong,” referring to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

Johnson then praised Trump, whose attacks against the late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel — “never heard of him before,” Johnson said — and other news outlets are incomparable to Putin’s suppression of journalists in Russia.

“We have to remember the difference between our side and their side,” he said. “You listen to the moaning of the liberal media about Donald Trump’s sometimes boisterous treatment of journalists. It’s a terrible problem, but I’m one of the very, very few European politicians who’s willing to say that I like Donald Trump.”

Towards the end of his speech, however, Johnson emphasized the importance of academic freedom at universities. Since taking office, Trump has cracked down on universities, freezing federal research funds and pushing schools such as Penn, Columbia and Brown into financial deals and settlements with the White House.

The topic of academic freedom also came up during the subsequent question-and-answer period. University students in the West should campaign for intellectual and academic freedom, Johnson said, as well as the rights of every student, lecturer and professor to say and write “what they always think in their heart — the facts.”

Yale has a good record when it comes to intellectual and academic freedom, Johnson said, as exemplified by the Buckley Institute’s mission. 

Johnson also dedicated a portion of his speech to praising what he described as American values, recounting that he sat next to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and “chief bunny of DOGE” Elon Musk at Trump’s inauguration and listing their respective net worths.

“And then it was me! I slightly brought down the average,” Johnson quipped, mentioning his career in public service and journalism.

After talking to these “tycoons of American capitalism,” Johnson said, he realized that the United States has an “extra sense” of freedom and possibility. The American concept of freedom was exemplified 250 years ago during the American Revolution, he said, adding that he “would have done” the Boston Tea Party, too. The spirit of the Boston Tea Party — not wanting to be ruled overseas by unaccountable politicians — was one of the reasons why he favored Brexit, Johnson added.

When asked about a problem faced by youth in both the United States and the United Kingdom, Johnson pointed to the difficulty that British youth face in climbing the “property ladder,” such as by acquiring homes. When he asked the audience whether a similar problem exists in the United States, too, the audience generally agreed, with various nods and verbal “yes” responses. 

“How do you believe in capitalism, how do you support the capitalist system if you struggle to acquire capital in that way?” Johnson asked. “That, I would say, is the single biggest problem. We got to fix it.”

Daniel Jung ’28, who attended the talk, said that Johnson was a charismatic speaker with “many anecdotes to talk about.” 

“He definitely is able to control the room,” he said. “He very much showed his appreciation for the students and intellectual prowess this university has, which is a good way to be welcomed.”

Last year, the conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro visited Yale as part of the lecture series jointly hosted by the Buckley Institute and the Young America’s Foundation.