Foreign diplomats are expressing alarm to U.S. government officials about what they say are inflammatory and insulting public statements by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, according to senior U.S. officials.
Officials from Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia
have complained in recent private conversations, mostly about the
xenophobic nature of Trump's statements, said three U.S. officials, who
all declined to be identified.
"As the (Trump) rhetoric has continued, and in some cases amped up, so, too, have concerns by certain leaders around the world," said one of the officials.
The
three officials declined to disclose a full list of countries whose
diplomats have complained, but two said they included at least India, South Korea, Japan and Mexico.
U.S.
officials said it was highly unusual for foreign diplomats to express
concern, even privately, about candidates in the midst of a presidential
campaign. U.S. allies in particular usually don't want to be seen as
meddling in domestic politics, mindful that they will have to work with
whoever wins.
Senior leaders in several countries -- including Britain, Mexico, France, and Canada
-- have already made public comments criticizing Trump's positions.
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded him a threat to peace and
prosperity in an interview published on Sunday.
Trump's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the private diplomatic complaints.
Japan's embassy declined to comment. The Indian and South Korean embassies did not respond to requests for comment.
A
spokesperson for the Mexican government would not confirm any private
complaints but noted that its top diplomat, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, said
last week that Trump's policies and comments were "ignorant and racist"
and that his plan to build a border wall to stop illegal immigration was
"absurd."
The foreign officials have been
particularly disturbed by the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim themes that
the billionaire real estate mogul has pushed, according to the U.S.
officials.
European and Middle Eastern government
representatives have expressed dismay to U.S. officials about
anti-Muslim declarations by Trump that they say are being used in
recruiting pitches by the Islamic State and other violent jihadist
groups.
On Dec. 7, Trump’s campaign issued a written statement saying that he was “calling
for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States
until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.”
Trump
subsequently said in television interviews that American Muslims
traveling abroad would be allowed to return to the country, as would
Muslim members of the U.S. military or Muslim athletes coming to compete
in the United States.
There are also concerns
abroad that the United States would become more insular under Trump, who
has pledged to tear up international trade agreements and push allies
to take a bigger role in tackling Middle East conflicts.
“European diplomats are constantly asking about Trump's rise with disbelief and, now, growing panic," said a senior NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"With
the EU facing an existential crisis, there's more than the usual
anxiety about the U.S. turning inward when Europe needs U.S. support
more than ever."
Another of the senior U.S.
officials said the complaints are coming mostly from mid-to-low ranking
diplomats – described as “working level” - rather than from the most
senior officials.
"The responses have ranged from amusement to befuddlement to curiosity," the official said. "In
some cases, we've heard expressions of alarm, but those have been more
in response to the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiment as well as
the general sense of xenophobia.”
More than a
hundred Republican foreign policy veterans pledged this week to oppose
Trump, saying in an open letter that his proposals would undermine U.S.
security.
"A LOT OF QUESTIONS"
On
Tuesday, General Philip Breedlove, the United States' top military
commander in Europe, said that the U.S. elections were stirring concerns
among America's allies.
“I get a lot of questions from our European counterparts on our election process this time in general," said Breedlove, who did not mention Trump by name. "And I think they see a very different sort of public discussion than they have in the past.”
While
not confirming the content of private diplomatic contacts, some foreign
officials acknowledged their governments' concerns about Trump.
A British official noted that in January, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "What
Donald Trump says is, in my view, not only wrong, but actually it makes
the work we need to do to confront and defeat the extremists more
difficult."
A Chinese official referred to a
statement last week from China's foreign ministry spokeswoman. Asked
whether China was concerned about Trump's proposal to place high tariffs
on Chinese goods, Hua Chunyin declined to comment on specific
candidates. But she said "I want to stress" that China and the United States have "major responsibilities" in maintaining international political and economic stability.
Representatives
of other countries publicly attacked by Trump, including Iran, Iraq,
Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam either had no comment or did not
respond to requests for comments.
Several American foreign policy experts said foreign diplomats have complained to them as well.
"All
foreign diplomats I’ve talked to are amazed at the Trump phenomenon and
worried about it, especially in the Middle East and Europe,” said Elliott Abrams,
senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank who
handled Middle East affairs at the National Security Council from 2001
to 2009 under then-President George W. Bush.
Tonto Dikeh and her husband, Churchill Oladunni Olakunle
