Jeremy Corbyn on why he does not like being compared to Donald Trump: 'It's a very strange comparison to make'
The Labour leader has responded to Ed Balls comparison of himself and the Republican
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It would be fair to say Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump are at ideological loggerheads. While the Labour leader has today announced the party will not be cutting immigration and he “isn’t concerned about numbers”, the Republican presidential candidate has previously said he plans to build a “great, great” wall along the border with Mexico.
Despite this, Ed Balls, the former shadow chancellor and now Strictly Come Dancing contestant, has likened the labour leader to Mr Trump because they have both achieved success via the “protest” vote.
However, Mr Corbyn has argued this is a “very strange comparison” to make, saying he has little in common with the mogul-turned politico.
“I don’t think Donald Trump and I have very much in common on anything,” Mr Corbyn told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on Wednesday.
However, when probed about whether he agreed there was a comparison to be made in the sense that both had broken expectations, he said: “Leicester City did last year. Lots of people defy the odds. It was an interesting experience last year to see the thirst of people, it wasn't that they aren't political, it was that politics wasn't interested in them.”
The Labour politician, who was recently re-elected with an increased majority, condemned Mr Trump’s idea to build a wall on the Mexican border.
“The idea that you would build a wall between your country and your nearest neighbour, Mexico, and then somehow or other try to say that they have to pay for it,” he said. ”What kind of behaviour and what kind of attitude is that? In addition to the many other strange, very old-fashioned social attitudes he seems to be so keen on.”
“He plays to an audience which feels very angry at the way the political establishment has treated it and he doesn’t actually offer any solutions other than a blame culture,” he added.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments