In The U.S. And U.K., Anti-Establishment Voters Sound Similar Themes

Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Makela/Getty Images and Scott Heppell/AFP/Getty Images Mark Makela/Getty Images and Scott Heppell/AFP/Getty Images

This year's presidential campaign seems to be one of a kind, but it is really part of a bigger picture that stretches beyond the U.S.

Donald Trump's message to anyone who doubts he can win: Look at what happened in the United Kingdom last summer. The vote to leave the EU in June was fueled by some of the same issues that Trump is tapping.

"Believe me. This is Brexit times five. You watch what's going to happen," he said last month.

Indeed, in both the U.S. and the U.K., NPR national political correspondent Don Gonyea and London correspondent Frank Langfitt recently talked to people whose fears and frustrations echoed one another.

Residents of Monessen, Pa., and Washington, Pa., — areas considered strong Trump supporters this year — as well as those in the English seaside resort of Margate, which voted strongly for Brexit, were concerned about immigration, the economy and a distrust of those they consider political elites.

Click on the audio above to hear the full conversation.