Farage claims Trump 'learned a lot from me'

Nigel Farage has claimed former US president Donald Trump “learned a lot” from studying his speeches before he ran for office.

The Reform UK leader denied he thought he was Britain’s version of Trump, telling ITV’s The Leader Interviews – Tonight programme: “I think we’re very different but I think we think the same on many things.”

He added: “He’s learned quite a lot from me, I think it goes both ways… He was watching my speeches in the European Parliament for many years… before he decided to run.”

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When asked if the former president had told him this, Mr Farage replied: “I know that to be true.”

Mr Farage is close to Trump and has repeatedly praised the former US president.

Before his decision to join Reform UK earlier this month, Mr Farage had said he planned to help Trump with his presidential campaign this year.

But he has since admitted: “If I’m elected the MP for Clacton, and I’m there every Friday… it’ll become more difficult but not impossible.”

Farage doubles down on Ukraine comments

In the interview Mr Farage also doubled down on his claim the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Asked how he would deal with the Russian president, he told ITV: “Well, we’ve tried of course through sanctions to weaken him, but all that’s actually done is drive him into the arms of China.

“He needs to know there’s a threat now, he needs to know, he does need to know, it is so far and no further.

“I think the West historically, up until a few years ago, provoked Putin stupidly.

“I felt the ever, ever eastward expansion of NATO and the European Union was giving Putin a reason to go to war. I guess the question is, what do we do now? And yes, I do support us giving munitions and help to Ukraine but I feel the war is a complete stalemate.

“I think the number of lives being lost is horrific. There have been no sensible, substantive negotiations of any kind and even if negotiations to try and find a peace, to try and find a way through, fail, I think it’s better to have those negotiations than not.”