Saloon bar hero Nigel Farage admits Donald Trump can be ‘over the top’ as he issues stark warning about poking the Russian bear
Farage believes he could help Trade Secretary Liam Fox to 'get things done'
SALOON bar hero Nigel Farage sat in Donald Trump’s sumptuous Manhattan penthouse and toasted the new world order . . . with a glass of water.
It was four o’clock in the afternoon, sundown in New York.
The Ukip leader might have preferred something stronger to mark his astonishing new relationship with the next leader of the free world.
“But Donald doesn’t drink,” says Farage, now back at his home in Westerham, Kent.
“His brother died of it. We just had some water. We did not eat anything.”
This might have been disappointing for one of Britain’s most celebrated boozers, but Farage was more interested in the tycoon’s plans for the future than the need for a livener.
In fact, Farage was busy drinking in the opulent surroundings in the 66th floor Trump Tower apartment, furnished in 17th Century style of France’s Louis XIV.
“There was priceless art on the walls. It reflected a lifestyle of incredible wealth,” he says.
“Melania and the family were out of town. I was with the President elect for 50 minutes while people were coming and going, fixing appointments for the new administration.
He will be better than people think
“It was a bit cheeky but I mentioned the bust of Sir Winston Churchill which sat on the President’s desk until it was removed by President Obama.
“I said it would be a fantastic symbol of our two countries’ fight for peace and democracy if it were to be put back. He said he would look at that.”
Farage, who hopes to act as a bridge between the UK and America on trade, claims relations were soured in the election campaign by criticism of Trump from senior Downing Street figures.
Two of PM Theresa May’s special advisers were outspoken about his promise to bar all new Muslim migrants to US soil.
But yesterday Farage insisted the maverick campaigner had apologised.
“He does sometimes say things that perhaps have not been worked through,” says Farage.
I said I had never seen him retract or modify his promise to ban Muslims.
“He has said in a speech that occasionally, ‘I get things wrong. I push things too hard’,” says Farage.
So were his critics wrong?
“He did go over the top,” concedes Farage.
“What I saw was condemnation of what he said, but they never said, ‘Well done for apologising’.
“Yes, he caused offence at times, but he’s going to be the next President of the United States of America and I think Donald Trump will be a much better President than people give him credit for.”
Nigel Farage clearly believes he has a role to play in the new world order and is disappointed that he has so far been shunned.
Mrs May’s spokesman insists Britain does not need a “third person” to act as a go-between.
“America and Britain have a lot in common,” Farage replied.
“He is an Anglophile. We talked about our shared history, the triumphs and tragedies of two world wars fought together at massive cost for peace and democracy.”
Would he like to be appointed as American ambassador to Brussels, as he has claimed?
“To be honest I was teasing a bit there. I don’t think an American administration is going to employ me in that role.
"The thing I believe I could do very constructively is help on trade. I know Trump and a lot of the political figures around Trump who will take big jobs, people I’ve known for many years.
“If we were a business and looking at Trump as a client, you would look for someone with connections to your target."
“This is completely in Downing Street’s hands, not mine. But to say Nigel Farage is irrelevant reflects the thinking of people who have no imagination.
“I do think I could be of help to them. I would like to help.
“Trade Secretary Liam Fox has his hands full and I would like to help him. Whether people like me or not, I have got things done.”
So what would he say if he were offered an hour with Prime Minister Theresa May?
His first advice would be to sack Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch.
“I have had dealing with him in Brussels.
“He is a committed Foreign Office Europhile whose world view is going to be diametrically opposed to the entire Trump thing. The world has changed. He is from a past era.
“I would say to her that I am not the representative of a rival political party, because my time leading Ukip is at an end.
“I am someone who genuinely cares about the Anglo-American relationship, someone who might just be able to make your job in Brussels a little easier.”
He would speak up for the Nato defence treaty which has kept the peace in Europe for 70 years but is now under threat.
Donald Trump has threatened to cut US financial support unless EU members foot more of the bill.
“Jean-Claude Juncker has called into question the whole point of Nato by advocating an entirely separate EU defence force,” says Farage.
“There would need to be some very free and frank discussions between the United States and Mr Juncker.”
“Putin is a hate figure,” he admits. “I am not saying he is a wonderful bloke but we seem keen to provoke him.
“If you do poke the Russian bear with a stick, don’t be surprised if you get a reaction.”