Brexit's Nigel Farage stumps for Trexit Trump

WASHINGTON: Rarely if ever has a foreign politician canvassed in the US Presidential elections. But in this extraordinary campaign, British nationalist leader and Brexit mastermind Nigel Farage stumped for Donald Trump at a rally in Mississippi on Wednesday as the Republican candidate echoed his nativist sentiments that propelled Britain out of the European Union.

Farage, who attended the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July, went a step further by speaking at the rally and publicly endorsing Trump, who has isolationist views similar to those of the icon of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

Nominally sticking to the protocol of not directly seeking votes for a candidate, Farage teased the crowd, saying, "I can't possibly tell you how you should vote in this election…but...but…," before declaring that he "wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me."

"In fact, I wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if SHE paid me," he added to cheers from the mostly white, nativist crowd. In the background, Trump gave a thumbs-up to supporters who also lapped up Farage’s smackdown of President Obama.

Accusing the U.S President of talking down to the British when Obama pitched himself into the British referendum, virtually asking the English to vote against Brexit, Farage recounted the unexpectedness of the Brexit victory even though pollsters and pundits had said otherwise.

"People who had never voted in their lives," went to the polls to "take back control of their border and get back their pride and self respect,” Farage said, suggesting Americans could do the same by backing Trump.

Foreign leaders have expressed preference for US Presidential candidates before: Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012 and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez supported Barack Obama in 2008. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has also spoken favorably of George Bush in 2004 and Obama in 2012. But none have appeared and spoken at an election rally.

But Britain, the mother country, is a different kettle of fish, and Farage appearance on stage with Trump did not cause any great controversy.

Trump then took over and continued his takedown of Clinton, describing her as a "bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future."

In recent days, the Republican candidate has made a pitch for minority votes, telling the black and latino communities in particular that Democrats have taken them for granted, despite charges that he has been unmindful of their concerns.

He has softened his stand on the mass deportation he threatened of illegal immigrants, and aides have said he will visit more black areas and address the black community, something he has conspicuously avoided so far.

"I say to the African-American parent, you have a right to walk down the street of your city without having your child or yourself shot, and that’s what’s happening right now," Trump told a rally in Florida on Wednesday. "To the Hispanic parent, you have a right to walk outside without being shot; you have a right to good education for your child. You have a right to have a good job."

Trump aides have fought to correct the perception that he is a racist and bigot who cares only for the white nativist population, arguing that he is mainly against illegal immigration, not legal inflows.

Consequently, he has begun speaking in a more scripted manner now, following teleprompter cues rather than the off-the-cuff remarks that aides said were often misinterpreted.

Still, he can’t help himself depart occasionally from the text to throw out red meat to his supporters.

"We’re going to build a wall, don’t worry about it," he told the Florida rally, returning to a familiar subject. "We’re going to build the wall and Mexico is going to pay for it, 100 per cent. And it’s going to be a big wall. It’s going to be a real wall. It’s going to be as beautiful as a wall can be, but it’s going to be a real wall."

Trump also continued to cast doubts on Hillary Clinton’s health, at one point using a verbal slip he made to press his point.

After saying Clinton had lied in a "pre-medicated" manner (instead of pre-meditated), Trump decided the former sounds better.

"Premeditation," he corrected himself before he paused. "Could be the first one was right, actually."

He was so impressed with his own wordplay that he kept repeating it saying he loved it.