Nigel Farage has said the UK is “incredibly lucky” to host the US president on a UK state visit as thousands march the capital in protest of his arrival.
The Reform UK leader called on Brits to unite around Donald Trump, arguing he has a “soft spot” for the country.
Farage told Harry Cole’s Saves the West channel on YouTube: “We should view ourselves as being incredibly lucky that we have an American president with such a deep, emotional soft spot for the United Kingdom.
“When he was asked about electoral prospects in Britain, he said: ‘Sure, Keir can beat my friend Nigel, as long as he’s tough on borders, tough on law and order and drills lots of oil and gas in the North Sea.’”
Asked whether Mr Trump saw him as Sir Keir’s successor, Farage replied: “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.”
Despite Farage’s warm words, protestors have urged the government to stop “appeasing” Trump.
A Stop Trump Coalition spokesperson said: “Today showed us what happens when hateful rhetoric is allowed to go unchecked and take over our streets.
“There is a clear and growing link between the international far right in the US and UK, exemplified on Saturday by Elon Musk, a figurehead of the American far right, addressing the crowd. Trump’s politics have encouraged this resurgence of hate in both countries.
“Instead of confronting the problem, and offering real and meaningful solutions, Starmer’s government is appeasing Donald Trump with a state visit that polls show most British people are opposed to.
“Starmer rolling out the red carpet for Trump sends a deeply dangerous message and does nothing to provide support to communities seeing a surge in racism in the UK. He is missing in action at a time when the UK needs strong leadership to face down the far right.
“We’re calling on everyone who opposes today’s scenes to join us on Wednesday and say: not in our name. This protest isn’t just about Trump — it’s about what kind of country we want to be.”