Why does Alastair Campbell say Donald Trump and Nigel Farage have persevilience?

Alastair Campbell says Donald Trump and Nigel Farage have every attribute of persevilience except the most important one, values and integrity. Trump refused to accept losing an election and eventually persuaded enough people to re-elect him. Farage kept going after repeated electoral defeats and, in Campbell's view, has secured much of what he set out to achieve. Campbell adds that his partner Fiona pushed him to admit Trump fits the definition.

• Campbell thinks Trump believes he did not lose and may carry a deep hole inside, while Farage shrugs off bad headlines.
• Campbell also discusses Vladimir Putin, who he says sees himself as a successor to Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.

▸In their words

“I think you point out that Farage failed to be elected eight times.” Rory Stewart · at 10:35 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-15). Read the whole episode summary →

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