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22 November 2016

The 5 times Nigel Farage and Donald Trump’s bromance made everyone want to throw up

Some friendships are golden.

By Julia Rampen

Donald Trump, the President-Elect of the United States, wants Nigel Farage to be the UK ambassador. That’s right. He wants the nation of Winston Churchill, William Gladstone and Adam Smith to be represented by the modern incarnation of Mr Toad.

We know this, because he tweeted it. “Many people,” he declared, “Would like to see Nigel Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!”

Farage responded by telling the world he was in “a good position” to help.

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Downing Street quickly shot the suggestion down with the observation that we have an “excellent” ambassador already.

But, as regular Trump and Farage watchers know, this is just the latest in a bromance taking place on the world stage. Here are some of the most insipid moments.

 

1. When Fox News made Farage the opposition leader

Trump’s US cheerleaders love Farage so much, they are even willing to give him a promotion. When Farage was speaking on Fox News, the producers gave the MEP the title of “opposition leader” who also led the “Brexit battle”. This may have come as a surprise to a) Jeremy Corbyn, who didn’t realise his party hated him THAT much and b) the official Vote Leave campaign, which thought it had successfully excluded him on toxicity grounds. 

 

2. When Trump started calling himself Mr Brexit

In August, Trump tweeted: “They will soon be calling me MR BREXIT!”

But while President Brexit may be the biggest homage to Farage yet, Trump already made his support clear back on 24 June. As Britain tried to work out what exactly it had done, Trump arrived at his Scottish golf course and announced Brexit was “a great thing”.

“Just arrived in Scotland. Place is going wild over the vote. They took their country back, just like we took America back,” he tweeted, somehow missing the fact that 62 per cent of Scots voted Remain.

3. When Farage called Trump a “silverback gorilla”

Not only did Farage hop across the pond to campaign for Trump, but he was ready in the green room to defend him after his carcrash televised debates with the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. 

After a debate dominated by accusations that Trump had harassed women, Farage said: “I thought he was like a big silverback gorilla prowling the studio.”

Now with access to the nuclear codes of course!

4. When he slagged off world leaders so Trump didn’t have to

Farage didn’t restrict himself to attacking Trump’s rival, Clinton. After Trump shocked pundits and half of America by winning the Presidency, Farage told Talk Radio that the the first African-American President, Barack Obama, was a “loathsome creature”.

An ever gracious victor, Farage continued by joking that Trump shouldn’t “touch” Britain’s second ever female Prime Minister, Theresa May.

5. When they all got the golden lift

While other British politicians were shivering in squares clutching wreaths of poppies and remembering the dead, Farage got the golden ticket to spend his weekend going up and down in a glistening lift with the President-Elect.

He even managed to squeeze in a few excitable buddies. 

But while the opulent lift, the strange host and the orange-faced clown might rekindle memories of Willy Wonka, sadly, this elevator did not blast off into space…

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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