Nigel Farage’s biggest problem? Donald Trump | Nigel Farage

31 days into the war in the Middle East, Nigel Farage has become a little less vocal about the closeness of his relationship with Donald Trump.

“Trying to read the minds of people in the White House right now is a cup game,” the lawmaker said Tuesday as he announced his party’s latest “commitment” to lowering the cost of living.

Perched on a stool against a backdrop of departing flights, Farage had arrived at Heathrow airport to promote his plan to abolish taxes on short-haul journeys.

But when questions inevitably arose about the potentially catastrophic impact of the conflict on the British economy, the Reform leader was forced to grapple with what had suddenly become the primary obstacle to people voting for his party: Donald Trump.

The US president no longer enjoys a positive view even among Reform voters, the only group of supporters who previously viewed him favorably, according to polling by More in Common.

Reformation’s Trump problem is particularly acute among British women; Last week, 25% of those surveyed listed “Farage’s support for Trump” as the main reason they would not vote for his party.

Among men and women, the figure was 23%, beyond a range of other reasons, such as the party being viewed as far-right, the racism of some candidates, a lack of government experience or the perception that parties only represent the wealthy.

“Something like this from focus groups: [the] Minnesota [immigration raids] What’s happening here, as well as the general sense of chaos it could create in the UK, is kryptonite for Reform voters, particularly women and those in Reform’s ‘second 15%’. [who] “They need to get closer to forming a government,” said Luke Tryl, chief executive of More in Common.

“They can’t understand why Farage is collaborating with Trump and that’s what makes them even more nervous about ‘rolling the dice’.”

The daily uncertainty of war is now also becoming an issue for the party, as Reform voters are as vulnerable as others (in some cases even more so) to the coming economic storm. Although voters Found by YouGov Although they view U.S. attacks more favorably than others, their expectations still tend to be negative on everything from geopolitical stability to household finances.

This is a far cry from the days after the 2016 US presidential election, when the president-elect began discussing the then Ukip leader as a man who would do a “fantastic job” as Britain’s ambassador to the US.

In the years since, Farage has routinely emphasized his ties to Trump. boast in January last year He said the White House administration is on speed dial.

Asked by the Guardian on Tuesday whether he was worried his relationship with Trump was starting to hurt him and Reform’s base, Farage said: “‘I’m not going to lie about it, am I? I’m not going to pretend I don’t know him. I do.’

“I think about what you’re doing at the border [with Mexico] Admirable,” Farage added, listing Trump’s other so-called achievements, including economic and energy policy “certainly in the first term”.

“So there are things he does that I very much agree with. There are other things he does that I don’t agree with and the American and British public can judge that. But you know, he doesn’t dictate policy to me. I dictate policy to me.””

Earlier, the Reform leader was once again less sure about Trump when asked whether the president should end the war without securing the Strait of Hormuz. He also appeared less confident about his earlier belief that regime change was about to occur in Iran, expressed at a previous Reform event that took place on the heels of U.S. and Israeli attacks.

“I don’t think we should take everything Donald Trump says literally,” Farage said on Tuesday. “But the last thing he will do, or the last thing his colleagues in the White House will do, is give the Iranians any idea of ​​what their real intentions are, and frankly I don’t know… Was it to eliminate nuclear capability? Was it aimed at regime change? I don’t think any of us quite know the absolute truth about that.”

Whatever the impact of the Trump-Farage relationship in the coming months and years, it appears to be changing.

Farage faced ridicule after announcing he would fly to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump at the end of the first week of the war. just to fail to secure a meeting.