Nigel Farage has announced he will be “having words” with Donald Trump’s administration following this threat of tariffs on Britain.
Speaking to GB News, the Reform UK leader hit out at the US President for his “wrong” and “very hurtful” move against the UK.
Asked if he believes Donald Trump is “bluffing” in his threats of new tariffs, Mr Farage said: “Whether Trump is bluffing or not is always difficult to tell, but to use economic threats against the country that’s been considered to be your closest ally for over 100 years is not the kind of thing we would expect.
“It’s wrong it’s bad, it would be very, very hurtful to us. Now, I think we’re in a position where we can negotiate.
“We’re not tied by European Union trade rules, and that does give us an advantage in these negotiations.”
He made clear: “But I would just say this, I’m all for Trump taking out enemies of the West – Maduro, the Iranian regime, but if he falls out with his own allies and leaves America isolated, that would be a very bad place to be.
“So I’m worried about it, I’m concerned about it, I’ve always been a supporter of the president since way before he got elected first time, but I will be having some words with the American administration in Davos on Wednesday on this issue. It’s wrong.”
Questioned on whether the UK “should retaliate” if the tariffs are implemented, the Reform UK leader said: “I think to retaliate would probably hurt us even more. We have to negotiate, and it’s one area where with Brexit we are free to negotiate directly, we did so relatively successfully compared to our European counterparts earlier in the year.
“And look, we know that Trump does use a degree of bluff, it’s part of his negotiating tactic. You can never completely predict what he will do. But no, I don’t think reciprocal tariffs at this stage would make any sense at all.”
Nigel Farage threatened to ‘have words’ with the Trump administration following his tariff threat
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GB NEWS
Pressed on whether he “condemns” Mr Trump’s actions, Mr Farage said: “I think he’s wrong, I think what he’s done is wrong and I don’t think you turn on your allies.
“By the way, I completely understand strategically why Greenland matters so much, but I’ve just said to Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, if Greenland matters because of worries about Russia, worries about China, well, wake up and smell the coffee on Diego Garcia.
“It’s being described to me as the most important US military base in the world outside of mainland America, and so they need to wake up and smell the coffee on that one, too.”
Pressed on whether he will “pick up the phone directly” and speak to Mr Trump, the Reform UK leader said: “I will be going to USA House in Davos on Wednesday and I’ll be meeting members of the administration.
Mr Farage and Mr Rosindell spoke to the media following Sir Keir Starmer’s address to the nation
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GB NEWS
“And I will say very clearly what I’ve just said, this is not the way to treat your best friends, this is not the way to get support.
“I’d love to see a successful economic partnership between Greenland and America, and I hope and pray that’s where we end up.”
Asked for his verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s speech to the nation this morning, Mr Farage admitted the Prime Minister’s remarks were the “correct thing” to say.
The Reform leader responded: “I did watch the speech, and what he says in public and maybe what he says in private are two different things, so let’s see.
Mr Farage told GB News that some of what Keir Starmer said in his speech was ‘correct’
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GB NEWS
“I felt the Prime Minister’s instinctive response, saying this was completely wrong, was actually the correct thing to say. But let’s see how tough we can be. Let’s see how good a negotiator he is.”
He added: “Some of the evidence when it comes to the EU reset and the Chagos deal shows our Prime Minister is not a ball negotiator, and that would be my concern.”
Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister vowed to “keep dialogue open” with Mr Trump, but will not hesitate to use “full strength of the Government” to “protect the security, living standards and future of the British people”.
He said: “The use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong. It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland security as a justification for economic pressure.”