Nigel Farage has said he is “proud” to have played a part in helping Donald J. Trump be elected as the next President of the United States, an event which he described as “Brexit-plus-plus-plus”.
Addressing an audience at the Hay-Adams hotel in Washington D.C. on the eve of Mr. Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the United States of America, Mr. Farage said the presidential campaign had been one of highs and lows – but that the outcome had been worth it.
“At times it wasn’t necessarily that easy to be helping the Trump campaign,” he admitted.
“There were one or two low moments. But I think what’s exciting is that 2016 will be looked at in ten years’ time, in a hundred years’ time, as a year of a great pivot, of a great change.
“A year when nation state democracy reasserted itself. A year when proper decent values reasserted themselves. And I think through 2017 much of this revolution will continue across much of what is left of Mr. Juncker’s European Union.”
Farage live in DC
Posted by Raheem Kassam on Thursday, 19 January 2017
The election of Mr. Trump represented so much more than simply a new face in the White House, Farage said. He believes it represents a sea-change in the social zeitgeist.
“I really believe this. Through most of my life, what happens in America in terms of social trends or developments, we follow, four or five years later. America is the leader. Now I would like to think, in my own little way, that what we did with Brexit was the beginning of what is going to turn out to be a global revolution, and that Trump’s victory is a part of that.”
While Brexit was “great”, Mr. Farage said, “Trump becoming the President of the U.S.A. is Brexit-plus-plus-plus.”
Lauding Trump, the man, as a worthy leader of the revolution movement, Farage added: “He was right when he called it a movement, but a movement can’t exist, a movement can’t flourish without a leader.
“Trump is the only person I’ve ever met in my life who makes me feel like an introvert. He is a larger than life personality. When he was given the rule book to run for president he tore it up, he threw it out of the window.
“The most powerful man in the world will be the most extraordinary force of nature. Somebody and something that America and global politics have never seen before. Someone who may occasionally have a rough edge, but whose instincts are absolutely right – and whose feeling with fellow Americans, ordinary people, out there doing their best is I think the closest this country has seen since Ronald Reagan.
“I believe he’s going to make a very good president, and I’m proud to have played my part, not just in Brexit, but in helping this man become the 45th President of the United States of America.”
Taking a moment to enjoy the occasion, Farage admitted: “When I look back in years to come, perhaps the greatest joy of 2016 was that realisation, as state after state in the Midwest went red… Just to see the faces of those CNN presenters will stay with me forever.”
It was an admission of a warm glow of victory that Farage urged others to share.
“The funny thing in life is that we all fight battles in our lives and we all have victories, and we all have failures. The odd thing is, that after our victories, normally there isn’t really time to celebrate because we’re moving on to the next battle.
“What we’ve got [on inauguration day] is actually a chance to reflect; a chance to celebrate those amazing victories of 2016,” he said, as the audience applauded.
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