# Farage plays both sides on Trump friendship

> The Reform UK leader praises Trump to American conservatives but downplays their closeness to British voters who dislike the U.S. president.
- Title: Farage plays both sides on Trump friendship · POLITICO
- Summary: The Reform UK leader praises Trump to American conservatives but downplays their closeness to British voters who dislike the U.S. president. Nigel Farage…
- Keywords: nigel farage, donald trump, reform uk, british politics, u.s. conservatives, mar-a-lago, politics, world, Farage, plays, both, sides
- Source: POLITICO — https://politico.eu/article/nigel-farage-plays-down-donald-trump-friendship-britain-maga
- Published: 2026-10-22T15:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nigel farage, donald trump, reform uk, british politics, u.s. conservatives, mar-a-lago, politics, world
## Farage's warm words for Trump
On the Benny Show podcast on September thirtieth, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told American conservatives he agrees with Donald Trump on almost everything.

> There are very few human beings I know with whom I agree on so much as I do with Donald Trump.
## A different tune for British voters
In Britain, Farage has downplayed his closeness to Trump as he positions himself as a contender for U.K.prime minister.In April on Times Radio, he said he hadn't been in touch with Trump for many months.

> I haven't really been in touch with Trump for many months.
## Public disagreements with Trump
Farage has criticized Trump's tariff threats as wrong, questioned his comments on Canada becoming a fifty-first state, and distanced himself from Trump's views on Ukraine.He initially supported the U.S.

> let's not get ourselves involved in another foreign war.
## Why the balancing act matters
Trump is deeply unpopular in the U.K., and Farage's relationship with him is off-putting to many British voters.Yet Farage sees his links with the U.S.right as deeply important to his political future and influence.
## Key takeaway

Nigel Farage publicly distances himself from Donald Trump in Britain while emphasizing their friendship to U.S. conservatives, reflecting Trump's unpopularity in the U.K.