Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Britain's stunning decision to leave the European Union was a sign of a "general widespread populist rebellion" and a bad omen for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The one-time Georgia lawmaker said the United Kingdom’s “leave” campaign echoed many of the same themes of Republican Donald Trump’s presidential bid: concerns about illegal immigration, stifling bureaucracy, the spread of terrorism and a stagnant economy.
"I suspect that after the Brexit result, Hillary Clinton must be pretty darned worried," said Gingrich, a Republican seen as a contender to become Trump's running mate. "There must be a tidal wave of anti-establishment sentiment growing."
Added Gingrich: “It’s nice to see the country of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher regain its sense of independence.”
The "Leave" campaign, long expected to falter, won with a surprising 52 percent of the vote, leading British Prime Minister David Cameron to announce he would step down by October.
Speaking on Facebook Live, Gingrich heaped praise on Trump for scheduling a trip Friday to Scotland to visit his golf courses, saying that he was able to tie his campaign's message to the unrest in Europe and the broader debates that will shape American policy.
“This isn’t just about Trump versus Clinton,” Gingrich said. “Do you allow the United Nations, international law, international bureaucrats to define your future? Or do you reassert America’s ability to control its own future?”
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