Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who spoke of Donald Trump as a ‘friend’, praised his economic and border control policies but admitted the US leader was ‘not everyone’s cup of tea’
Nigel Farage says he is “starting to worry slightly” about the judgment of US President Donald Trump amid mounting UK-US tensions over the conflict in the Middle East.
The Reform UK leader, who spoke of Mr Trump as a “friend”, praised his economic and border control policies but admitted the US leader was “not everyone’s cup of tea”. He said: “I do, as a friend, worry slightly about his judgment on this, yes. I do.
“It will be a terribly sad end to an amazing political career if the man that was always anti-war in the end gets (brought) down by this – I struggle to understand it.”
Relations between the US and the UK have been strained in recent months after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain would not be “dragged into” the Iran war. Previously, the Reform UK leader suggested the American president had been badly advised ahead of the military action.
Mr Farage said at the time he had spoken to the US president “earlier this year” and not since. The politician also signalled plans to scrap Sir Keir’s post-Brexit reset to relations with the EU, saying a close economic relationship with the US would be more beneficial for the UK.
He said: “The starkness of the approach towards money, risk appetite, capital in America and Europe is incredible. And here’s Starmer taking us ever closer back to the European Union.”
He also signalled a “massive change of thought” was needed on welfare reform and said a Reform UK government would expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. The Clacton MP said: “Attitudes are going to have to harden. There’s a massive, massive change of thought needed on benefits – that’s going to be the biggest war of them all.
“And there’ll be riots, and there’ll be strikes and there’ll be protests, and we know all of that, but that’s what we’re going to have to do – it has to be done. We just can’t afford it now.”
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