There's a Hidden Message for Trump in Boris Johnson's Joe Biden Tweet

Boris Johnson’s first public message to US President-Elect Joe Biden accidentally contained hidden references to Donald Trump.

Johnson’s Twitter account tweeted a graphic congratulating Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris after they were declared to have won the US election on Saturday.

However, by altering the contrast and brightness of the image, you can see words in a smaller font size, which appear to form a separate message prepared for if Trump had won.

By stripping away the background colour using the wand tool in Photoshop, the words “Trump”, “second term” and “the future” are visible.

A UK government spokesperson said: “As you’d expect, two statements were prepared in advance for the outcome of this closely contested election.

"A technical error meant that parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background of the graphic.”

“Looks like No 10 could do with a few more staff who have trained in "cyber" (they just didn't know it yet),” Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner wrote on Twitter in response to the error.

While it’s a weird mistake to have made, it does highlight the fact that Johnson faces an uphill battle in forging a close relationship with Biden, who served as President Barack Obama’s Vice President. Biden has reportedly never forgiven Johnson for claiming in 2016 that Obama’s opposition to Brexit was due to his “part-Kenyan heritage”.

Former Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor quote-tweeted Johnson’s message to Biden and Harris on Saturday, adding the words: “This shapeshifting creep weighs in. We will never forget your racist comments about Obama and slavish devotion to Trump but neat Instagram graphic.”