Nigel Farage, founder of the far-right United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP,) and chief engineer of Britain’s recent exit from the European Union, delivered a triumphalist speech to a Donald Trump rally in Jackson, Mississippi last night.
Farage is idolized and disliked in equal measure in the U.K., but the vast majority of the audience at the Republican nominee’s rally had never heard of him. Trump had to spend some time on the introductions, calling him:
“The man behind Brexit, and the man who led – brilliantly – the United Kingdom Independence Party, and won despite all odds, despite horrible name-calling, despite so many obstacles.”
In his speech, Farage lost no time in underlining his credentials. He said at the outset:
“We made June 23rd our Independence Day when we smashed the establishment.”
In separate interviews, Farage has described the similarities between Brexit and the Trump campaign as “uncanny.” His speech was carefully designed to highlight those similarities and strike a chord with the audience. He told them:
“We reached those people who’ve been let down by modern global corporatism. We reached those people who have never voted in their lives, but believed that by going out and voting for Brexit, they could take back control of their country, take back control of their borders, and get back their pride and self respect.”
He took a moment to aim a sideswipe at President Obama, but his biggest cheer of the night came when he said:
“I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me.”
Farage ended his speech by urging the audience to get out and campaign for Trump, telling them:
“Remember, anything is possible if enough decent people are prepared to stand up against the establishment.”
While he portrayed the Brexit campaign as an unqualified success, there are millions in Britain who would disagree. The value of the British pound has fallen by around 20 percent, and it has become abundantly clear there is no clear strategy for negotiating the complex process of withdrawing from the European Union.
Racially motivated hate crimes have also spiked alarmingly since the referendum, and Farage’s own racist attitudes have been heavily criticized. An anti-immigration poster that he proudly unveiled and endorsed was deemed so offensive, it sparked a number of police complaints.
One person who is a massive Farage fan is Steve Bannon, Trump’s newly appointed campaign supremo. In fact there’s every possibility that, thanks to their mutual admiration, Farage will make further appearances on the Trump tour.
His presence would provide a salutary reminder to progressives in the USA who never seriously consider the thought that Trump could emerge as victor in this election. Farage and Brexit weren’t taken seriously in the U.K. either, until they won.
Watch Farage’s speech to the Mississippi rally here.
