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Farage hails Musk as ‘hero’ a month on from rift

By Mark Mansfield
Nigel Farage (R) and Elon Musk. Photo Stuart Mitchell/Reform UK/PA Wire

Nigel Farage praised Elon Musk as a “hero” in a speech at a right-wing conference in America a month after the billionaire suggested he should stand down as leader of Reform UK.

Addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Washington on Thursday evening, Mr Farage said: “I think he is a hero, because if you remember 2020, in November, you couldn’t say anything about the conduct of the election in this country.

“You then couldn’t say anything about vaccines or about lockdowns without social media closing you down.

“And then along came the hero of free speech, Elon Musk.”

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False claims

The months following November 2020 saw repeated false claims on social media and elsewhere that Donald Trump had won the US presidential election.

The Reform leader went on to praise Mr Musk’s work at the head of the “Department for Government Efficiency” (Doge), which has slashed US government projects over the past month in ways that have been challenged in the courts.

He said: “I believe that the talents of the world’s most successful businessman, going into this amazing Doge project, I wish him all the luck in the world and godspeed, I really, really do.”

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Rift

Mr Farage’s praise of the Tesla and SpaceX owner follows an apparent rift between the two men in January, when Mr Musk said he “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party to victory.

The dispute centred on Mr Musk’s support for jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – something Mr Farage has consistently refused to do.

Until that point, Mr Musk appeared to have supported Mr Farage, meeting him and Reform’s treasurer Nick Candy in America, while he had been rumoured to be considering a significant donation to the party.

But while Mr Farage later insisted that he was “on good terms” with Mr Musk, the billionaire also seemed to suggest Reform MP Rupert Lowe should take over as party leader.

His brief remarks focused heavily on free speech, as he claimed Britain was a place where “you can’t say anything or you might get put in prison”.

He also praised Donald Trump, calling him “simply the bravest man I know”.

But he made no mention of Ukraine or Mr Trump’s claim that president Volodymyr Zelensky was a “dictator”, despite earlier in the day expressing some disagreement with the term.

He told GB News Mr Zelensky was “not a dictator”, but added it was “only right and proper that Ukrainians have a timeline for elections”.

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11 comments

John Ellis

'Nigel Farage praised Elon Musk as a “hero” in a speech at a right-wing conference in America ...' A pair of ghouls, roughly ghoulish in equal measure - except that, inevitably, I suppose, the one with the most money is the most potent ghoul.

Reply
Brad

What are we not being told?

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Y Cymro

Well Farage does have something in common with Elon Musk. Both are fond Roman saluting and reading fascist Austrian/German literature. I wonder what Nigel Farage's Clacton constituents feel about him again being across the pond attending CPAC in the USA when he should be working for them as their sitting MP seeing Westminster is not in recess. He was elected to work on their behalf not Donald bloody Trump! This is a warning to the curious in Wales if stupid enough to elect Reform UK to the Senedd in 2026. Also, only recently Reform UK's Nathan Gill, remember him, was charged & convicted of bribery. This is a man Farage is considering making leader of Reform UK in Wales and he's hoping to win a seat in the Senedd. As a convicted criminal Nathan Gill should be barred from standing for office. If lying in the Senedd has recall consequences, so should standing as an elected representative if charged with a serious crime. BBC News - Former Reform UK Wales leader charged with bribery https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3ywlwlqzzo

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Fi yn unig

Farages’ ‘hero’ Musk says ‘he doesn’t have what it takes’ to be the leader of his political company, masquerading as ‘party’ and, as far as I’m aware, has not retracted this statement so instead of pathetically genuflecting and trying to please his hero, who is not for turning, he needs to get on with springing the falsely named Prime Minister elect Tommy Robinson from prison and appoint him leader of Reform UK. What Musk wants, he gets and if Farage gets in the way of that, he’s gone. I don’t think he knows what he’s dealing with here. Elon has spoken. Is Nige listening?

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Jeff

Not forgetting farage is famous for not wanting foriners interfering in UK politics (brexit and other interviews) but swivels as soon as a load of loot is waved at him or a claimed billionaire felon and abuser pats him on his head and says "good doggy".

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Jeff

So, farage, thinks the 2020 was not fair but accepts the 2024. "bravest man I know", trump got a tame doctor to keep him out the draft with "bone spurs", 47 denigrated John McCain becuase he was captured in a war trump ran away from. Zelenski said "I need ammunition, not a ride". I know what trump would do, he would run, I will call him a coward. How is the nazi saluting fool anyway? press keeping tabs on the eugenic loving people he is letting loose in the US systems grabbing data? You get all sorts of info, including ethnicity. Another nation did that in the 1900's. Oh, and all the fascists inhabiting twitter today, right up farages street then Reform eh. Supports a draft dodger, abuser and multiple felon and supports a bloke that snaps off nazi salutes and wrecks the US systems and is gutting organisations that were investigating his problems And Farage has held up putin on a podium and had his back as an MEP, Brexit a massive win for putin and who was one of the biggested shouty blokes in the UK for brexit?.... I know what reform are with all those pointers. Putins useful idiots. Especially since trump is now a putin mini me.

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Jeff

That is the line you are fed. Fall for it if you want to. Putins little helper in the Whitehouse starting to get difficult to spin now, we said the mask would slip, now it has. They were about to cut thousands of seasonal national park workers. Have a clue how the parks work? They cut national fire service when wild fires are high. Trump is about to really mess up the postal service. They handle postal votes, cant have that now can we. Trump tried in Version 1. Justice department has deleted database tracking police abuse cases and trump has let off the Jan 6 rioters he set on his vice president to kill him and when the feds found other weapons offences from the rioters, he has let them off that as well. People are getting fired having just been promoted. They may have worked for years but a promotion counts as a temporary status so out the door. Thousands that work in departments that run things like medical for the poor. Cant have that now can we. If you cannot afford medical you are nobody. Ring a bell, say 1930's? Paying attention to the way musk is cutting people to make musk look good? Obvioulsy not. He cut nuclear safety people then there was a panic to get them back but they deleted their details. They are not cutting waste, they are trying to make themselves look good whilst gutting institutions and unless they all kiss Donny/Musk ring, they get more cuts. This is not efficiency by any measure. It is the US sinking into oblivion. Oh yeah, doge, what are they costing. an unelected putin stooge gutting the US. https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-trump-musk-funding-foia-congress-transparency

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David

Well one good thing coming out of this getting close to Musk Trump and the rest of these GOONS AND GHOULS will deter people voting for Farage and his Right wing Fascists

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Llyn

So a day after Musk calls our brave ally Zelensky a "despised dictator" this "far-right" admirer of Putin and Trump's puppet, anti immigrant Farage is in America (why not Clacton Nigel?) buttering up this African immigrant and foreign government official begging him for foreign money to finance his party of "patriots". Reform UK truly are a party of quislings.

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Rhys

It's a pity that Farage doesn't have more sway over his demonic masters! He comes across as reasonably moderate in comparison, but he'll never have their ear!!

Reply
TheWoodForTheTrees

Freedom of speech and freedom to lie are not the same thing. I find it difficult to comment on this abhorrent little man without swearing.

Reply

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