Nigel Farage and Donald Trump sing from a similar political song sheet. With the latter's re-ascension to the White House the former will likely be further empowered. How has their relationship evolved over time? How was Farage involved in the 2024 election and what does their relationship mean for the UK in the future?
A Brexit bromance
Donald Trump and Nigel Farage's relationship began in Mississippi, August 2016. Farage, fresh from achieving his lifelong political ambition of taking Britain out of the EU, was riding high as the embodiment of a new kind of populist politics. Trump, still viewed as a long-shot for the White House, was introduced to Farage by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and Steve Bannon, an old Farage acquaintance and then campaigner-in-chief for Trump. According to Farage, Trump asked "Where's the Brexit guy?", hugged him, and said "We have got to do what he does". Later, at the Trump rally in Mississippi, Farage joined Trump onstage, saying “I wouldn’t vote for Hillary if you paid me”.
A special relationship?
While a 'special relationship' may well have existed between Churchill and FDR, Thatcher and Reagan and Blair and Bush, since 2010 (and especially since Brexit) it's been tepid at best - a trend which Trump accelerated during his first term in office, despite his apparent reverence for the Royal family and pro-Brexit stance.
During the Brexit referendum, the Leave campaign promised a UK-US trade deal as one of the major prizes of Brexit - which has never materialised. Trump has meanwhile pledged to put tariffs on all imported goods once back in power, with little 'special' consideration made for the UK, never mind that the US is our largest market for goods exports. During his last presidency, Trump's tariffs on Scotch whisky cost the industry £600 million. While on the election trail, Trump's VP JD Vance described Britain as the first ‘Islamist State’ with a nuclear weapon. And even the much lauded ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence system involving the UK and US reportedly came close to falling apart during Trump’s last presidency.
What is Trump and Farage’s relationship like today?
Shortly after his first election win in 2016, Trump suggested Farage should be the next UK ambassador to the US. The following year, Farage spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, arguing that the electoral success of Brexit and Trump marked the ‘beginning of a global revolution’.
Today, the instigator of Britain's gravest modern political mistake is arguably closer to the most powerful man in the world than any other Brit. This year, like in 2016, Farage entered a presidential year galvanised by his own electoral performance, steering Reform UK to third in the popular vote and finally winning a seat in the House of Commons (at the eighth attempt). Rather than focusing on his new constituents in Clacton, Farage has spent much of his post-election time in America. Following his victory in July Farage was congratulated by Trump, who called him the 'big winner' of the UK election at a rally in Pennsylvania. Last week, Farage was spotted celebrating at the Mar-a-Lago election party as results started to come in.
Thankfully, Farage is unlikely to be appointed to any official UK-US diplomatic role, despite the urging of some in Westminster. Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said last week that Farage should ‘concentrate his efforts on the constituents in Clacton who elected him”.
Legitimacy and empowerment
There is a risk that the close relationship between the two populists could further legitimise Farage's hard-right rhetoric here in the UK. Much like Elon Musk, Farage understands that having the ear of the President would be invaluable to his own status. If Trump was to be granted a second state visit, Farage would undoubtedly use the occasion for political gain, especially as his Reform party targets by-elections and the Welsh Senned elections to shore up support before the next general election.
While Trump's first presidency arguably fired the starting gun for the resurgence of populism in the West, his second term will unfold in a political landscape defined by an increasingly confident, and entrenched, hard right. In Germany, the AfD has started winning regional elections for the first time. The Spanish party Vox has gone from polling at 1% in 2017 to 12%, and is now the third-biggest party in the country. Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) celebrated an unprecedented election victory in September. Reform UK is already creeping into the mainstream here in the UK, and Trump's victory gives Farage an even bigger platform to spout his damaging nativist rhetoric. Using Farage in any kind of official capacity would only be of benefit to himself - to the real detriment of our country, and the liberal, democratic values that underpin it.