Trump’s populist contentment with Brexit

Abstract

The campaign for Brexit, then its adoption, has been under scrutiny by a pleased-as-punch Donald Trump eager to witness the dawn of a new day for US-UK trade agreements. Promising better economic deals for both countries, Brexit also signified that the UK had finally succeeded in disposing of the European yoke and could now exercise her regained freedom. The nationalist ingredient in supporting Brexit has been fueled by “politics of anger”, which resonate with Trump’s populist rhetoric based on accusations against corrupt elites, citizens’ enemies and conspirators, open borders, multilateral agreements, and die-hard world finance. The resonance between the two nations is even stronger when paralleled with the personalities of both leaders who share in demagogy, bigotry, performance skills, impulsivity, and narcissism. These resemblances become instrumental for D. Trump in implementing his policies, especially when driven, like Boris Johnson, by the urgency of bringing jobs and past glories back. This angry patriotism, as well as the rejection of international institutions and the establishment presented as the villains responsible for Britain’s and America’s dysfunction are very disturbing to Trump’s detractors. This paper examines American perceptions of Brexit, supporters and detractors alike, as well as studying the ambiguous and ambivalent, yet inevitable and indispensable relationship between the UK and the USA.