The strange relationship between Nigel Farage and the Trump administration

This article was originally published on Apr 1, 2025.

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Nigel Farage, a polarizing yet unavoidable character in British politics ever since he became a member of the European Parliament in 1999, has a peculiar relationship with Donald Trump and Elon Musk that leaves many in the UK feeling uneasy. As Trump and Musk become increasingly extreme and the British public's views towards them become increasingly negative, will Farage’s alliance with them be his downfall?

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The Farage-Trump relationship began in 2016. In July, Farage attended the Republican National Congress in Cleveland where he met Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who invited him to a fundraising dinner in August where he met Trump for the first time. That same day Farage spoke at what would become his first of many Trump rallies. At this time Farage was riding the high of Brexit referendum success and likely hoped his victory gave him enough political capitol to get “in” with Trump. On the day of Trump’s inauguration, Fox News announced that Farage would be a commentator. Fox News is a notoriously conservative news channel, so Farage would have fit right in, ingratiating himself further with the President. In an interview for LBC with Farage in 2019, Trump criticised Boris Johnson’s handling of Brexit and in a rally in Arizona in 2020, Farage sickeningly gushed that Trump is the ‘most resilient and brave person’. Evidently, the pair go out of their way to boost each other’s political profile. Farage was undeterred by the capitol insurrection on the 5th of January 2020, and following Trump’s guilty court verdict in March 2024 Farage said he supports Trump ‘more than ever’. Perhaps they have been able to bond over tax avoidance and a lack of respect for women. During the 2024 Presidential election campaign Farage seemed to be in the US more than in his new constituency of Clacton. He rushed to Trump’s side after the assassination attempt, blaming the ‘liberal narrative’ of Trump’s opponents, and even accompanied Trump at his Mar-O-Largo watch party on election night. The foundations of this relationship, it seems, are publicised displays of support and, as will next be discussed, a shared right-wing ideology.

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There are many points of convergence between Trump and Farage’s political ideology, if you can even call it that. One of their key similarities is their laughable lack of consistency. Trump, for example, has recently branded himself as the saviour of TikTok, despite being the person who first instigated the ban. Farage on the other hand once accused President Obama of ‘monstrous interference’ during the Brexit campaign, ironically proclaiming the indecency of having a US president become embroiled in a US election, stating it would be equally wrong for someone from the UK to do the same. The two clearly suffer from very short memories. Beyond that, both share a vehement dislike of immigrants, want harsher policing, lower tax, and they avoid any mentions of net zero targets. Additionally, both Trump and Farage take a nationalist view, and both have a penchant for leaving beneficial international organizations (The World Health Organization or The European Union being two). These are just a few of their shared views and policies, however they also seem to share political tactics. Both treat politics like a business, which is perhaps understandable since they both share a business background. Reform UK, unlike most political parties, is a corporate entity of which Farage owns the most shares, while Trump’s tariffs, as well as his hiring and firing, are more like the work of a bad CEO than the work of a president. However, their greatest tactical similarity is their shared use of populist rhetoric and techniques. This include stoking up fear and conspiracy (Farage with the riots in August 2024 and Trump with his border wall arguments) and both have weaponised issues such as immigration and unemployment, as well as criticisms of previous administrations, to successfully attract the votes of lower income, rural voters. These two political figures clearly read from the same political playbook.

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It is not just Trump, however, that Nigel Farage has established a relationship. Elon Musk, who is forced himself into the political realm despite having zero experience in it, has made frequent attacks against the Labour government, including against safeguarding minister Jess Philips. In December 2024 Musk was reported to be trying to donate $100million to Reform UK to influence the next UK election. This would go against the UK’s campaign finance laws and the British public was outraged, although Farage denounced the report as being ‘pure speculation.’ Nevertheless, the pair supposedly became friends, with Farage flying to Florida that same month to meet Musk. The friendship quickly hit rocky waters as they clashed over Tommy Robinson, the far-right EDL leader whom Farage has made consistent attempts to distance himself from over the years. Musk’s advocacy for Robinson led to the “friends” clashing heads and in January 2025, Musk called for Farage to be replaced as the leader of reform. They have since reconciled, at least publicly, with Farage recently calling Musk a ‘hero’ for free speech, although tensions may still be brewing behind the scenes.

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But what do these friendships mean for Farage’s political career? Polling shows that Trump is deeply unpopular with the UK public, and a continued alignment with him seems misguided since Reform are aiming for electoral success, most imminently in the Welsh elections. A recent YouGov poll also found that more than 7 in 10 Britons dislike Musk. Why then, does Farage boast proudly of these friendships? Could it be financial? Is he envisaging a future career is US politics? Does he think a relationship with the US is a solution to all of Britain’s problems. A recent tweet of his called for a commonwealth with the US to unite the English-speakers. He also made the confident and incorrect claim that the UK would avoid tariffs, suggesting that perhaps his knowledge of Trump’s intentions is less extensive than he’d like us to believe. His comment that Britain should accept chlorine-washed chicken as a part of a US trade deal triggered outrage, particularly from farmers. It seems, then, that this relationship with Trump and Musk is not proving popular for Farage, and maybe he is finally coming to realise it. In light of Trump’s conversations with Putin over the war in Ukraine, Farage has begun to distance himself from the President, saying that Putin must not be made a winner. Is this the beginning of the end of the Trump-Farage relationship or just a temporary blip? With public opinion strongly against Trump and Musk, could this bond prove to be the thing that finally pushes Nigel Farage out of our political mainstream? One can only hope.