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President-Elect Donald Trump Meets With First Foreign Party Leader, Brexit Champion Nigel Farage

By Tara West
Published on: 15:44 PST, Nov 13, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump isn’t wasting any time stepping into his new presidential role. Trump met with his first foreign party leader at Trump Tower on November 12, just four days after his surprise victory. The UKIP Brexit champion, Nigel Farage, met with Trump in his personal residence for approximately an hour. The invite is not that surprising given that Farage has openly supported Trump, even speaking at a rally for him in Mississippi. The Brexit mastermind noted that America could have a Brexit of their own and that Trump supporters should not be swayed by the polls.

The Daily Mail reports that Donald Trump had enlisted help from Nigel Farage during the presidential election because he felt, like him, he was a political outsider that stunned the establishment with a Brexit win. Trump wanted to understand more about the Brexit and how Farage pulled off the feat. As a result, Farage came to Mississippi for a Trump campaign fundraiser and spoke about his 25-year battle against the EU. He discussed his rise in the UKIP party and the ultimate Brexit victory. Following the successful fundraiser, Trump asked if Farage would speak at one of his rallies and Farage obliged. The result was a stirring campaign speech in which Farage told the crowd that “you can beat the pollsters.”

“You can beat the pollsters in this presidential race. We did it with Brexit. You can do the same. If I was an American citizen I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me. In fact, I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton if she paid me.”

Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was not shy about admitting that the Trump campaign “closely studied Farage speeches and interviews, deciding to make a virtue of Trump being despised by the establishment of the Republican Party.”

Therefore, following Trump’s poll-defying win, the president-elect asked Nigel Farage to be the first foreign party official to have a formal meeting. Farage says that the invite was “payback” for his loyalty during the campaign and for taking up for him despite party backlash in his own country.

“Anyone who knows Donald Trump says he is very loyal to people who have been loyal to him. Trump knew members of my own party turned against me. He appreciated what I had done. Meeting with us on Saturday was payback. As for my own role, I would say that some of the noises about Trump coming out from the children advising Theresa May are so juvenile. Downing Street should be having a constructive conversation. If I can help that I will.”

The Telegraph notes that despite being the first foreign official to meet with Trump, Farage is not receiving any slack from the Tori party in the United Kingdom. In fact, it is reported that Prime Minister Theresa May has forbidden any of the ministers from speaking with Farage noting that he is of “irrelevance.” However, it seems that not everyone in May’s cabinet agrees calling the move a “mistake” given that Farage is a close ally of Trump.

“Theresa May is facing a growing Cabinet backlash over her decision to dismiss Nigel Farage despite him being the only British politician to meet with Donald Trump since his victory.”

Similarly, Nigel Farage says he hopes that the British government will allow him to make introductions and start the “necessary process of mending fences.”

“If the President-elect trusts me then I would hope that some in the British government could do the same thing. I would be very happy to provide introductions and to start the necessary process of mending fences. And I would not want anything in return. I hope in our national interest that some sense prevails on this.”

[Featured Image by Gerald Herbert/AP Images]

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