LONDON — Donald Trump learned “a lot” from Nigel Farage before deciding to run for U.S. president, according to Farage himself.
Farage’s Influence on Trump
The prominent Brexiteer claimed in an interview with ITV that Trump viewed Farage’s long career as a rabble-rouser in the European Parliament as a model for his own presidential campaign. “He’s learned quite a lot from me,” Farage said. “I think it goes both ways.”
Farage further claimed, “He was watching my speeches in the European Parliament for many years before he decided to run.” When asked if Trump had explicitly told him this, Farage responded, “I know that to be true.”
A Long and Controversial Career
Farage, who is running for parliament in the U.K.’s general election and aims to challenge the governing Tories from the right as leader of Reform UK, had a lengthy and controversial stint in Brussels. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) between 1999 and 2020, using the platform for impactful speeches promoting his Eurosceptic views, which garnered massive viewership on YouTube and stirred the Brussels political scene.
A Longstanding Relationship
Farage and Trump share a history. Farage was the first British politician to meet Trump after his 2016 U.S. election victory and has interviewed him multiple times. Although Farage considered campaigning in the U.S. for Trump’s re-election bid, he has decided to focus on U.K. politics.
Differences and Similarities
In the interview with ITV, Farage, who has expressed a desire to replace the Tories as a new right-wing force, denied being Britain’s version of Trump. “I think we’re very different,” he stated. “I think we think the same on many things.”
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