TRUMP GOES TO TOWN AS ‘MR. BREXIT’
Pumps up his nationalist cred by campaigning with anti-E.U. leader Farage
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump sought to capitalize on what he calls a worldwide anti-establishment movement, bringing a British anti-European Union leader on the campaign stump to bolster his nationalist message stateside.
“I think you have a fantastic opportunity right now with this campaign,” Nigel Farage, a key figure in the successful movement behind Britain’s June vote to leave the E.U., told attendees at a rally in Jackson, Miss., last night.
“If you want change in this country you’d better get your walking boots on, and remember anything is possible if enough decent people are prepared to stand up against the establishment!” said Farage.
While Farage stopped short of endorsing the Republican presidential candidate, he excoriated President Obama for traveling to Britain in an effort to con-
vince voters to support remaining in the E.U.
“Yes we were visited by one Barack Obama,” Farage said, drawing boos from the crowd. “And he talked down to us. He treated us as if we were nothing.”
Farage also blasted Trump’s Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton.
“I cannot possibly tell you how to vote in this election,” Farage said. “But I will say this: if I was an American citizen, I would not vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me. In fact, I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton if she paid me!”
Trump may have a tough task keeping his Brexit praise from being lost in translation with American voters, campaign watchers said.
“The Brexit message is likely going to get lost in the mix,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonean. “Most voters will barely remember that England is leaving the E.U. because there weren’t any serious ramifications of it back in the United States, let alone Mississippi.”
Still, Trump sought to draw parallels between the come from-Brexit victory in Britain and his own campaign, which he said is “a chance to reclaim American independence.”
“They voted to reclaim control over immigration, over their economy, over their government,” Trump said at the rally. “The working people and the great people of the U.K. took control of their destiny.”
Garrett Marquis, a former John McCain campaign aide who was an adviser to pro-leave European parties, said whether or not American voters know specifics about the Brexit movement, the populist message behind it is easily understandable.
“People feel strongly in terms of taking their country back, whether it’s about borders and national security or the economy,” Marquis said. “The bottom line is there is a sentiment that voters are tired of over-governance and over regulation.”
Trump has repeatedly tried to catch the winds of anti-establishment sentiment in the U.K. and translate it to his presidential campaign, proclaiming last week on Twitter: “They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!”