Is it conceivable that President Obama might use the word "queue"?

President Obama in a press conference, in London today, has said that if Britain votes to leave the European Union and makes separate application to the United States for a trade deal, she will be at the "back of the queue", behind the EU.

Some people assert that Obama has been prompted in his remarks by David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK, and that the President is really only saying this to do Cameron a favour. (It will be a major political blow to Cameron if he loses the Referendum on 23 June.)

On the BBC programme Any Questions this evening, Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, and vehement supporter of Britain voting to leave the EU, said he thought it inconceivable that an American such as Barack Obama would use the word "queue". Americans, he asserted, say "line". So according to Farage, it was not Obama speaking, but, in effect the UK government had written his script for him.

Do Americans use the word "queue", and more specifically does President Obama say "queue"?

Added: A somewhat more complete context for the quote:

He said there could be a US-UK trade agreement “down the line” but warned: “It’s not going to happen any time soon, because our focus is on negotiating with a big bloc, the EU. The UK is going to be in the back of the queue.”

(I can't vouch for the accuracy of the quote, of course. HL)

So, line is much more common in American English, especially when talking about a line that is actually physically embodied. However, queue is not unknown, especially among those with exposure to British English. Whether he was fed the line or doing it as a favor, I can't say, but it would certainly be more than reasonable for Obama to use the British-preferred word when discussing British matters, especially if he was 'aiming' it at a British audience.

I don't see any Obama quotes using it prior, but here's Biden using it in a similar manner in 2014 regarding the Obamacare queue/line

"Get in the queue, now," Biden urged viewers. "Get in the queue. There is still time today."

Per Mr. Farage, this would presumably have been "Get in line" unless he was fed the line then...

I agree with those who have said it is more likely he used 'queue' in preference to 'line' after speaking to advisors. But it's also interesting to note that Obama seems to like the word. He's used it a few times before, and in a non-British context:

February 25, 2010 Remarks in a Discussion on Insurance Reform at a Bipartisan Meeting on Health Care Reform: "Okay, all right. There were several people who were still in the queue who didn't have a chance to speak prior to us breaking."

November 13, 2011 The President's News Conference in Kapolei: "Could I just say that Chuck's the only guy who asked two questions so far. So just--when I cut off here, whoever was next in the queue--[laughter]--I'm messing with you, Chuck."

November 19, 2013 Remarks to the Wall Street Journal CEO Council and a Question-and-Answer Session: "We've got to make sure that we have a legal immigration system that doesn't cause people to sit in the queue for 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, in some cases, 20 years. "

So, to answer your question, there's nothing unusual or sinister in Obama's use - it seems part of his idiolect.

"Queue" was used, in the reported statement, in the sense of a "priority" ordering of the elements, and that sense is perfectly idiomatic US English. It's saying, in effect, that the UK would have the lowest priority.

This is different from saying "I had to stand in line for hours to order the new iPhone."

And "queue" is well-known and understood in the US, at least in government. From the Congressional Record, Jan 21, 2015:

Mr. McCONNELL. We were able to process several amendments to the Keystone bill today, and there are now seven more in the queue and pending. Senators should expect votes related to amendments to this bill throughout the day tomorrow.

March 2, 2007:

With regard to moving forward on this legislation, I encourage Members on our side of the aisle who have amendments to come down, get them in the queue. We will have a number of amendments, as the majority leader has indicated, next week. The best way to proceed, if a Senator is on this side of the aisle and has an amendment, is to come on down and offer it and get it in the queue.

Jan 26, 2015:

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, we continue to talk to Members on both sides of the aisle to set up a path toward passage on this bill that will include some amendment votes on pending amendments and others that are waiting in the queue. We will look to set some of those votes tomorrow after lunch.

Sept 5, 2006:

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we continued debate on the Department of Defense Appropriations bill that we started before the August recess. We have three amendments pending, and we expect to have more amendments offered tomorrow. Votes can be expected before the weekly policy luncheons and throughout the day. We will work to finish this important spending bill no later than tomorrow or Thursday. Members who have amendments still to offer to this bill should consult with the bill managers to get their amendments in the queue. Again, I welcome my colleagues back from the recess. We have a lot of work to do, as I outlined earlier this morning, over the course of the next several weeks, and we can expect some very full days.

(And about 430 others. I think this decisively destroys any argument that "queue" is unknown in the US or is only known to "techies".)

"Line" is used rather than "queue" for these purposes in American English, but in a technical, rather than colloquial, context, the term "queue" gets used all the time. As an American computer programmer, I work with queues and queued data on a regular basis, and I would never use the word "line" in that context. But if a person is being sent to the back of something, it's a line, not a queue. Using the term "queue" in that context will definitely sound like a British-ism to American ears.

As a software engineer in the US, I use the word "queue" all the time. Back when most people who subscribed to Netflix used the DVD delivery service, we called it a "queue." I think it's conceivable that the President, being a literate person, would believe that "queue" is the best word to use in this case just because it indicates a priority ordering. It is also conceivable that he knew who the audience was, and tailored his speech for them. It is also conceivable that he had a speechwriter or some other handler suggest that he use it, or that he was directly quoting something David Cameron asked him to say.

It's all conjecture, but I think he very likely could have used the word "queue" for plenty of reasons besides "someone else told him to."