The leader of the Britain’s Independence Party slammed President Obama on Monday night for wading into the debate over his country’s vote on whether to leave the European Union.
“[Russian Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin behaved in a more statesmanlike manner than President Obama did in this referendum campaign,” Nigel Farage told Fox News. “Obama came to Britain and I think behaved disgracefully, telling us we would be at the back of the queue.”
“Vladimir Putin maintained his silence throughout the whole campaign,” he noted.
Obama previously encouraged British citizens to remain in the European Union during an April visit to the U.K. At the time, he said the key U.S. ally could move to the “back of the queue” in trade talks should they choose to leave the EU.
Shortly after the results trickled in last Thursday, the White House released a new statement, saying the U.K. and European Union “will remain indispensable partners of the United States even as they begin negotiating their ongoing relationship to ensure continued stability, security and prosperity for Europe, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the world.”
Farage, who has called the “Brexit” vote a “beacon of hope” for other European countries, also claimed that the decision made by British voters was “decided by a basic argument of sovereignty.”
“We want to govern our own country. We want to make our own laws,” he said.
