Britain’s exit from the European Union on Friday paves the way for President Trump’s reelection, according to the United Kingdom’s best known Brexit leader, Nigel Farage — just as the 2016 referendum result heralded the president’s surprise win.
Farage, 55, arrived in Washington on Sunday in order to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
His trip is the latest leg in a victory lap that followed a weekend of celebrations to mark Brexit, England’s departure from the EU. It’s an event he said would resonate with supporters of Trump who are intent on unraveling international bureaucracies.
“Some people think it’s the most significant thing for Britain since 1945,” and the end of World War II, Farage told the Washington Examiner.
“It is a very, very significant break and it plays into the president’s view that the world should be nations, free market democracies and not globalist bureaucracies,” Farage said.
As for a Brexit mention by Trump in Tuesday’s State of the Union, set for delivery in the House chamber and a nationwide prime-time audience, “Let’s see if he mentions it,” Farage said. “I don’t know is the honest truth. But the referendum vote was a very good omen for him in 2016, and I would have thought it was quite a good omen for him in 2020.”
Aides say Trump will use the occasion to deliver an optimistic speech set around the theme of “The Great American Comeback.”
It comes as Britain ended more than three years of political wrangling at the stroke of 11 p.m. on Friday when it formally left the EU. It means Britain embarks on a new phase of its history just as the Trump campaign gears up for impeachment acquittal and November’s election.
Farage’s shock win in the 2016 referendum heralded a surge in support for populist politicians. Less than five months later, Trump won a surprise victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
The two men bonded over their populist project, and Farage has been a frequent visitor to the United States ever since.
For Farage, the effects of Brexit are personal. Britain’s withdrawal from the EU means he has lost his job as a member of the European Parliament. Farage will now turn his attention to ensuring that the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson strikes the right note in the next round of negotiations for life after Brexit.
“I intend to watch the next stage of negotiations like a hawk, and I will pray to the high heavens that they are getting it right and will ring the bell of alarm if we start to get it wrong.”
He will continue as leader of the Brexit Party as an “insurance policy” to ensure the government sticks to a tough stance and will monitor progress with a new website, BrexitWatch.
That leaves more time for visits to the U.S., he added.
“It is actually easier to get to the U.S. East Coast than Strasbourg [the official seat of the European Parliament in eastern France], which is bizarre,” he said. “I have a lot of friends here. It’s a great political year in America. So I expect to be here a bit.”
On Wednesday, he is due to address students at Liberty University after attending the State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Louie Gohmert.
“I’m really looking forward to it, and with everything that is happening in American politics, it’s likely to be a pretty lively evening,” he said.
