Donald Trump Calls Himself “Mr. Brexit” & Appears With Nigel Farage

This story was originally published on Refinery29's U.K. site. Donald Trump was joined by a controversial British politician at his campaign rally last night. Outgoing U.K. Independence Party leader and the man behind the Brexit movement, Nigel Farage, took to the stage at a Trump rally in Jackson, MS. At the rally, Farage (who has been criticized for xenophobia and anti-immigrant stances himself) said he wouldn't tell the American people how to vote, but that if he were American, he wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton "even if you paid me," the BBC reported. The crowd seemed confused by Farage's appearance, The Guardian reported, but he nevertheless received a warm welcome from the Republican candidate. Trump supported the campaign for Brexit and introduced Farage as the man who stood up to the E.U. "against all odds," praising him for having "brilliantly" spearheaded UKIP's campaign for an E.U. referendum in the U.K. "Brexit" refers to U.K. voters' decision to leave the E.U. earlier this summer (more on what that means here).

Farage said there were similarities between Trump's campaign and the Brexit campaign, which he called a "people's army of ordinary citizens," the BBC reported. "We reached those people who have never voted in their lives, but believed by going out and voting for Brexit they could take back control of their country, take back control of their borders, and get back their pride and self-respect,” Farage told the crowd, according to The Guardian. Trump is currently trailing Clinton in the polls, but Farage told the crowd of 15,000 activists that the Republican candidate could "beat the pollsters." "If you want change in this country, you better get your walking boots on, you better get out there campaigning," Farage said, according to the BBC. "And remember, anything is possible if enough decent people are prepared to stand up against the establishment." However, Farage declined to officially endorse Trump, CNN reported.