Trump’s British supporters have been invited to the White House for his inauguration on today but who are they and what can we expect from them?
While the world watches as Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of United States at the White House today, some British politicians will be attending the ceremony in person. From the shortest-serving British Prime Minister Liz Truss to Trump supporter Nigel Farage, we take a look at Trump’s British supporters and what it could mean for British and American relations.
Liz Truss
Despite travelling more than 3,500 miles and braving freezing temperatures, the weather has now side-lined the plans of ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss who won’t be able to gain access to the Capitol’s Rotunda to see the president be sworn in, according to reports. Former Prime Minister Truss has been outspoken about her support for Trump and posted a photo of herself in Washington DC wearing a hat saying: “The new Donald Trump term can’t come soon enough. The West needs it.”
Tory MP Truss sparked economic mayhem in the UK as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister but says the “world was safer” when Trump was in charge. Trump has previously said he thinks “very highly of Liz Truss” and praised her approach to the economy even though it caused financial turmoil.
Nigel Farage
The leader of Reform UK is a longstanding ally of Trump so it’s no surprise that he has been invited to Washington for Monday’s ceremony. Not everyone will be allowed inside to see Trump sworn in due to the weather but Trump’s special friend Nigel Farage will still be there, yet it is unknown where he and Boris Johnson will now be seated.
And it would seem that Trump and his supporters think just as highly of him. Farage was proclaimed “the next prime minister of Great Britain” at a huge party overlooking the White House to celebrate the upcoming inauguration of on Friday night.
Boris Johnson
While Boris Johnson has also made the 3,500 mile trip across the pond, it looks like he will at least get a seat. Apparently, Trump is so fond of the former Prime Minister that he gave him his private mobile number. And last year Boris endorsed Trump to be the next president of the United States.
Arguing the controversial former leader might just be “what the world needs” right now as long as Trump supports Ukraine in its war against Russia, Johnson backed Trump back in November. Johnson is no stranger to controversy – resigning as leader of the Tory party in 2022 after the latest in a long line of scandals including Party-gate.
Suella Braverman
Wearing a Make America Great Again cap, Braverman said she was happy to be in the States and ‘very grateful for the invitation’. The former home secretary is joining Dame Priti Patel, Nigel Farage and Liz Truss in Washington but it is unclear whether she will get a seat inside the building. The ex home secretary was replaced in 2023 after a string of slip ups including when she was accused of dividing communities, when she labelled pro-Palestinian rallies “hate marches”.
Laurence Fox
Actor and right-wing commentator Laurence Fox has flown to America for Trump’s inauguration and has been pictured arriving with Suella Braverman. Laurence has previously said Trump is ‘the perfect antidote to the elitist supremacists’. The Reclaim Party founder was ordered to pay £90,000 each in damages to two people he libelled by referring to them as “paedophiles” on social media last year.
Priti Patel
The shadow foreign secretary has been invited to Washington for today’s ceremony and has described the Conservatives and the Republican Party as “sister parties”. Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News, Dame Priti added: “We have enduring, long standing ties with the Republican party. Our two parties in government and out of government have worked closely together over decades. Our two parties are knitted together in the very principles of conservativism, and our DNA on values and beliefs is incredibly strong.”
Ian Paisley
The former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP is long-time friend of the president-elect, having first met him in 2003 along with his father Ian. Paisley is on the official guest list for the formal swearing-in ceremony in Washington on Monday, which will mark the beginning of Trump’s second term in the White House. Speaking before flying out to Washington, he said: “A lot of people have a lot of views about Donald Trump but collectively Northern Ireland can do well during his time in the White House. There will be lots of positive business opportunities and Northern Ireland is in a good place to take full advantage.”
