Nigel Farage has claimed Donald Trump “knows” he will be Britain’s next prime minister.
The Reform UK leader said the US president’s top team saw similarities between his insurgent party and their own political operation in the White House.
Reform is leading Labour in the polls by an average of more than 10 points, meaning that the party would comfortably win the next general election if it were held tomorrow
In an interview with the YouTube series Harry Cole Saves the West, Mr Farage said Britain was “incredibly lucky” that the president had “such a deep, emotional soft spot” for the UK.
Asked if Mr Trump saw him as Sir Keir’s successor, Mr Farage said: “He knows that. All the American administration are acutely aware of it.
“They think they see some similarities in what they’ve done and what we’ve done, and you know what, we speak the same language.”
What can we expect today?
If the first day of Donald Trump’s state visit was all about pomp and pageantry then the second will largely be about politics.
After staying at Windsor Castle last night, Donald and Melania Trump will formally bid farewell to the King and Queen later this morning.
The US president will travel to Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country residence in Buckinghamshire, where he will be met by Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Starmer.
He will also be greeted by a Guard of Honour from RAF Halton and bagpipers – his second Guard of Honour in two days after Wednesday’s welcome at Windsor Castle.
Mr Trump and Sir Keir will view the Sir Winston Churchill archives at Chequers before having a bilateral meeting.
They will then join a business reception, hosted by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, where they will both deliver remarks, followed by a press conference at Chequers.
For the first lady, it will be a rather different day.
Mrs Trump will remain at Windsor Castle following her husband’s departure, where she will join the Queen on a tour of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library.
She will then join the Princess of Wales at Frogmore Gardens to meet the Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme as they learn about nature to achieve their ‘Go Wild’ badge.
Only then will she travel to Chequers to join the president for the remainder of the day’s programme.
The president and first lady will bid farewell to Sir Keir and Lady Starmer at Chequers. The Lord Chamberlain will bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Trump on behalf of the King.
The Trumps will then travel back across the Atlantic on Air Force One.
‘Trump’s presidency has brought energy to the special relationship’, says former Tory Cabinet minister
UK-US relations have been strengthened because Donald Trump is an “Anglophile” unlike previous US presidents like Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.
The former Tory Cabinet minister told GB News: “Donald Trump’s presidency has brought energy to the special relationship, unlike Obama and Biden, neither of whom seem to like this country very much.
“Fortunately, his instinctive Anglophilia meant Britain enjoyed a warmer reception in Washington than many of our European counterparts.
“Donald Trump’s preference for bilateral arrangements made provision for Britain to negotiate on its own terms, whether on trade, defence or intelligence.
“His belief that Europe should take greater responsibility for its own security helped Britain’s role as America’s closest ally on the continent. And where foreign policy is concerned, the UK is well positioned to secure tangible benefits by aligning with us priorities.
“America is our ally. Donald Trump is an outward Anglophile and this bodes well for the strength of the special relationship, even if under previous administrations, they were not always so friendly.
“Joe Biden’s presidency set the special relationship back almost irreparably. His identification with his Irish heritage coloured his approach to issues such as Northern Ireland and Brexit, creating friction rather than good will.”
Pictured: Badenoch meets Trump
Kemi Badenoch has posted a photograph of herself with Donald Trump at last night’s state banquet at Windsor Castle.
The Conservative leader captioned the Instagram post: “What a pleasure to meet President Trump at the State Banquet. He gave a wonderful speech on his admiration for our country, reminding us about all the things that put the ‘Great’ in Great Britain!”
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, was not invited to the banquet, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey boycotted the event to “send a message” to the US president over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
PM’s charm offensive to continue at Chequers… but will Epstein scandal overshadow the occasion?
Sir Keir Starmer will continue his campaign to woo Donald Trump today as he hosts the US president at his grace and favour country home in the Buckinghamshire countryside.
The Prime Minister is hoping to keep the focus of the visit on an influx of American investment into the UK, having announced overnight the prospect of some £150bn flowing into the UK from big US companies such as Blackstone and Palantir.
As Sir Keir and Mr Trump meet at Chequers, they also plan to sign a technology prosperity deal, touted as offering major investment by US tech firms in Britain, that will help to develop its AI capabilities.
The Prime Minister will present the US leader with a bespoke ministerial red box styled to take back to the White House, as well as showing him items from the Churchill archives.
The two men will also meet investors including bosses from GSK, Microsoft and Rolls-Royce while Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, and Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, will also have face-to-face talks at Chequers.
Both Sir Keir’s government and the Trump administration are plagued by scandals related to Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile financier.
This afternoon’s press conference with the two leaders could prove to be the moment of most jeopardy, as questions about Lord Mandelson and Mr Trump’s links to the late Epstein are likely to arise.
Differences of opinion over the situation in the Middle East may also prove difficult for the two men.
Sir Keir has delayed his plans to recognise a Palestinian state until after Mr Trump’s visit concludes to avoid open disagreement over the matter, The Times reported.
What happened on first day of state visit?
President Donald Trump was treated to a day of military spectacle and royal access on Wednesday as the King pulled out all the stops to welcome him to Windsor Castle.
The visit began on the lawns of the Walled Garden, in a little-seen corner of the Windsor Estate, where Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales as they stepped out of their helicopter.
Mr Trump patted Prince William on the arm, telling him: “Hello, my friend. How are you?”.
“You’re so beautiful, so beautiful,” he appeared to tell the Princess.
The president and Prince William made conversation as they walked the short distance back to Victoria House where the King and Queen were waiting to greet them.
“This is my father,” the Prince was heard to say, gesturing to the King.
After a minute of small talk, with the King and president standing as a pair and Queen Camilla with Mrs Trump, the UK-US parties climbed into the waiting carriages.
The King and Mr Trump travelled in the Irish State Coach, with the monarch pointing out the details of the ornate carriage to his guest.
The Queen and the First Lady followed in the Scottish State Coach with US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens and his wife.
The procession route took in around 2km of park land, into the castle’s George IV Gateway and finishing in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle where the pomp and pageantry of the British Armed Forces awaited.
Here was the most formal of the day’s engagements: the “extra large” Guard of Honour, made up of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards gave a royal salute and the US and UK national anthems were played.
The quartet of King, Queen, Mr and Mrs Trump stood on the dais, with the Waleses to the side.
Mr Trump appeared delighted at being asked to inspect the Guard of Honour, walking in front of the King as per protocol and thanking Lt Col Storm Green no fewer than four times.
However, the jewel in the crown of a day designed to flatter the leader of the free world was the state banquet that evening.
The president was seated between the King and Princess of Wales, with Melania Trump flanked by the Queen and Prince of Wales on the opposite side of the table.
Guests included Rupert Murdoch, the newspaper proprietor, the golfer Sir Nick Faldo, and Apple’s Tim Cook.
In the convivial atmosphere of the banquet, Mr Trump used his speech to describe his second state visit to Britain as “one of the highest honours of my life”.
“It’s a singular privilege to be the first American president welcomed here and, if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents and this was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time.
“But this is truly one of the highest honours of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country.
“For many decades, His Majesty the King has epitomised the fortitude, nobility and the spirit of the British monarchy and the British people.”
Earlier, welcoming the president, the King said George Washington and George III could not possibly have imagined such scenes.
“It is remarkable to think just how far we have come,” the King told the banquet, raising a toast to the transatlantic relationship that “our predecessors have long called special”.
Farage, that disgusting neo-Nazi, will be surprised when the maga cult will collapse. The midterm elections will be the start of its end.