Trump welcomes Farage and his ‘message of hope’
NIGEL Farage shared a stage with presidential candidate Donald Trump yesterday to tell him the way to make America great again was to follow Britain’s lead.
In an historic address, the outgoing Ukip leader said Britain’s vote to leave the European Union in June showed “the little people” could triumph over the powerful.
Mr Farage, 52, the first British politician to address a Republican party rally, shook hands warmly with Mr Trump, who is fighting Democrat Hillary Clinton in the race to the White House.
To raucous applause from the 15,000-strong crowd at the Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi, he was introduced as the star guest and “the man behind Brexit”.
Obstacles
Mr Trump, 70, described Mr Farage as the figure “who led brilliantly the United Kingdom Independence Party and won despite all odds, despite horrible name calling, despite so many obstacles”. Mr Farage said: “I come to you from the United Kingdom with a message of hope and a message of optimism. “If the little people, if the real people, if the ordinary, decent people are prepared to stand up and fight for what they believe in, we can overcome the big banks, we can overcome the multinationals.” He added: “We did it. We made June 23 our Independence Day when we smashed the establishment.” Drawing parallels between Mr Trump’s bid and the Brexit campaign with its “people’s army of ordinary citizens”, he told the gathering: “If you want change in this country, you better get your walking boots on, you better get out there campaigning. And remember, anything is possible if enough decent people are prepared to stand up against the establishment.”
Mr Farage condemned President Barack Obama’s decision to intervene in the EU referendum and urge Britons to vote Remain, saying he did not want to repeat President Obama’s “meddling”.
Then Mr Farage told the crowd: “I cannot possibly tell you how you should vote in this election. But I will say this, if I was an American citizen I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me. In fact, I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton if she paid me.”
Mr Trump has tumbled in opinion polls in recent weeks and is fighting to remain within fighting distance of Mrs Clinton with little more than two months to go until the election in November.
But Mr Farage told the audience that they could challenge the expectations of pollsters just as Brexit campaigners had.
He said: “You can beat the pollsters, you can beat the commentators, you can beat Washington.”
He had told local radio in Mississippi that the similarities between Brexit and the US election were “uncanny.” Mr Farage said he had been part of a “political revolution” in the UK and there were the makings of a similar movement in the US.
His appearance has led to speculation that Mr Farage may pursue a TV career across the Atlantic.
NIGEL FARAGE has been in the US addressing Republican supporters where he told backers of Donald Trump they can follow the Brexit campaign’s lead and “smash the establishment”. In Britain, the US and across Europe the political elite is under growing threat.
For too long ordinary people have had their views and wishes ignored by traditional politicians who took their support for granted. Mr Farage and Mr Trump have given these people a voice. And by speaking their minds, choosing honesty over spin and refusing to back down they have enriched the political scene on both sides of the pond.
Mr Farage’s success in forcing an EU referendum and then going on to win it shows how popular this approach can be. Mr Trump will hope it can take him all the way to the White House.