The idea that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could win the White House has inspired a lot of worry amid foreign governments. But the real estate mogul isn't without his fans.
In the 13 months he's been running for president, the apparently flag-loving businessman has racked up some ~key endorsements~ from world leaders.
Like, for example, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, who according to a pair of US lawmakers is looking forward to Trump taking the White House.
Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. Adam Schiff were in Zimbabwe to discuss wildlife trafficking when they got a surprise meeting with the nonagenarian president. They told Politico that when a discussion about US sanctions on the country went sour, Mugabe apparently told them: "Once Trump is your president, you’ll wish you’d been friendlier to me."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un apparently penned a column — which ran on a state-run propaganda website — praising Trump.
“It turns out that Trump is not the rough-talking, screwy, ignorant candidate they say he is but is actually a wise politician and a prescient presidential candidate,” the column in the May 31 edition of DPRK Today reads.
The author also praised Trump's suggestion that he'd pull out US troops who have been stationed in South Korea since the 1950s if Seoul doesn't chip in more cash. “Yes do it, now," it reads. "Who knew that the slogan ‘Yankee Go Home’ would come true like this? The day when the ‘Yankee Go Home’ slogan becomes real would be the day of Korean Unification.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also all-in for Trump, telling reporters that his immigration plans are "vital" for his country.
"The Democrats' foreign policy is bad for Europe, and deadly for Hungary," he said. "The migration and foreign policy advocated by the Republican candidate, Mr Trump, is good for Europe and vital for Hungary."
Orban has been the most outspoken of the European Union's leaders against taking in more migrants, calling migration a "poison." Last year, he ordered the construction of a fence along Hungary's border with Serbia and Croatia in order to stem the tide of people crossing into his country.
And, of course, there's Trump's most well-known foreign supporter, Russia's own President Vladimir Putin.
Back in December, Putin called Trump a “a very colorful and talented man,” a compliment that the candidate inflated to being called "a genius." Trump meanwhile said he prefers Putin's authoritarian leadership style over President Barack Obama's approach. A YouGov poll conducted in April showed that Russians prefer Trump over his opponent, Hillary Clinton, by 21 points.
Trump has several ties to Russia, including previously seeking out investors in the country and his campaign manager's work with pro-Putin former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. Trump has also called into question America's commitment to NATO, a position that strengthens Moscow.
Russia in turn hasbeen accused of attempting to tip the scales in the US election for Trump by turning over hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee to Wikileaks as a way to damage Clinton.
We'll keep this post updated as we head toward November.
