The stunning victory of the Brexit Party in Britain’s elections for the European Parliament
is also a massive win for President Donald Trump — and a warning to the American political
establishment about the potential political cost of undermining the agenda on which Trump
was elected.
Nigel Farage’s party won 30.5% of the vote, and nine of ten regions in the UK; the Liberal
Democrats won 20.9% nationally and came first place in London, but nowhere else; and both
Labour and the Conservatives crashed.
Trump is a winner, in at least four ways.
First, Farage is a political ally, who spoke at Trump election rallies in 2016, and whose campaign
for British sovereignty provided a model for Trump’s own populist “America first” approach.
Second, the policy of the Trump administration is pro-Brexit, offering trade incentives once
Britain leaves the EU. The president tweeted in April: “Too bad that the European Union is
being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit.”
Third, the Brexit Party’s victory is only the latest in a series of conservative political
victories — many of which came as a surprise to the media, including Benjamin Netanyahu’s
victory in Israel in April and Scott Morrison’s re-election in Australia earlier this month.
Across the world, political elites are telling voters to abandon nationalism — and voters are
telling the elites to get lost. The result portends well as Trump gears up for his own re-election
campaign next year.
Fourth, and most important, the Brexit Party’s win is a reminder that there is a price for defying
the voters. The Tories came fifth in the EU elections — the worst result in their nearly 200-year
history. They lost because Prime Minister Theresa May failed to implement the will of the electorate,
and of Conservative Party voters in particular.
In the U.S., Congress has stalled Trump’s pledges on trade and immigration, fighting the border wall
and blocking the USMCA. GOP voters have stuck with Trump, whom they know is fighting. But Americans
remain disgusted with Congress.
A Trump landside in 2020.
is also a massive win for President Donald Trump — and a warning to the American political
establishment about the potential political cost of undermining the agenda on which Trump
was elected.
Nigel Farage’s party won 30.5% of the vote, and nine of ten regions in the UK; the Liberal
Democrats won 20.9% nationally and came first place in London, but nowhere else; and both
Labour and the Conservatives crashed.
Trump is a winner, in at least four ways.
First, Farage is a political ally, who spoke at Trump election rallies in 2016, and whose campaign
for British sovereignty provided a model for Trump’s own populist “America first” approach.
Second, the policy of the Trump administration is pro-Brexit, offering trade incentives once
Britain leaves the EU. The president tweeted in April: “Too bad that the European Union is
being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit.”
Third, the Brexit Party’s victory is only the latest in a series of conservative political
victories — many of which came as a surprise to the media, including Benjamin Netanyahu’s
victory in Israel in April and Scott Morrison’s re-election in Australia earlier this month.
Across the world, political elites are telling voters to abandon nationalism — and voters are
telling the elites to get lost. The result portends well as Trump gears up for his own re-election
campaign next year.
Fourth, and most important, the Brexit Party’s win is a reminder that there is a price for defying
the voters. The Tories came fifth in the EU elections — the worst result in their nearly 200-year
history. They lost because Prime Minister Theresa May failed to implement the will of the electorate,
and of Conservative Party voters in particular.
In the U.S., Congress has stalled Trump’s pledges on trade and immigration, fighting the border wall
and blocking the USMCA. GOP voters have stuck with Trump, whom they know is fighting. But Americans
remain disgusted with Congress.
A Trump landside in 2020.
