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Obama: World Leaders ‘Rattled’ by Trump’s ‘Ignorance of World Affairs’

Outgoing president hits presumptive GOP nominee on world stage


 

World leaders are leery of a potential Donald Trump presidency because they are worried he possesses an “ignorance” about world affairs, President Barack Obama said Thursday.  

“They’re rattled by him and for good reason,” Obama said in Japan during a G-7 summit. “Because a lot of the proposals that he’s made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines instead of actually thinking through what is required to keep America safe.”  

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Clinton: Trump’s Foreign Policy Would be ‘Disastrous’

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Leaders at the summit are “surprised” by the bombastic real estate mogul-turned-presumptive GOP presidential nominee , Obama said.  

Other global leaders are “not sure how to take some of his pronouncements.”  

“The world pays attention to U.S. elections,” Obama said. “They pay more attention to our elections sometimes than we pay to theirs.”  

The outgoing president suggested other leaders worry Trump could damage global stability .  

“[They] know that ultimately things don’t hold together so well if the U.S. isn’t making good decisions,” Obama said, “and they count on us to provide stability when making global decisions.”  

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Trump Nails GOP Foreign Policy Impulses

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Trump has sounded a harsh tone about even some of America’s closest allies, including the United Kingdom .  

During his bid for the White House, Trump has espoused foreign policy pronouncements that have led many experts to declare him an isolationist at a time many at home and abroad say world leaders have been disappointed in Obama for doing less on the world stage than most of his predecessors.  

Contact Bennett at johnbennett@cqrollcall.com. Follow him on Twitter @BennettJohnT
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