Hands down Hillary.

My suspicion is that Mr. Trudeau would accept Mrs. Clinton as the least-bad option.

Kim Jong Un endorses Trump.

Now, there’s an idea for a running mate. Hey, Donald: how about Dennis Rodman?

In case the past is an indicator, compare a couple of presidential visits to Ireland.

LA Times – Jun 26, 2004 – Despite generations of warm feelings between Americans and the Irish, President Bush received a less-than-hearty welcome Friday evening when he set foot in Ireland, with thousands of protesters around the country demonstrating against his actions in Iraq…

…Stefanie Marsh wrote in a Times of London commentary. “In Ireland, an American president has for the first time become an overwhelming figure of hate.”

The Guardian – Dec 13, 2000 – It is a rare day when red, white and blue bunting goes up in the republican stronghold of Dundalk. But yesterday was that day. The colours, representing not the British but the American flag, hung side by side with the bold green and orange of the Irish tricolour.

An American president was in town and the town was out to celebrate…

…Yesterday carnival costumes were everywhere, Irish dancers mixed with the local samba band, and strains of Danny Boy, apparently the president’s favourite song, sung by Belfast man Brian Kennedy, could be heard all day long.

Even the driving rain failed to dampen the spirits of those who have come to see the man credited as a major inspiration to the peace process.

The Australian media only reports on what Bernie, Hilary and The Donald are doing. I’ve not seen anything about any other candidates (I didn’t even know there were other candidates until I read a thread here the other day).

We are also in the midst of an election campaign. The Opposition leader recently described Trump as “barking mad”, but both the Government and Opposition have made it clear they will work with whoever you elect. I would say many international leaders are concerned about the prospect of a Trump presidency. He is a loose canon. I think the Japanese Prime Minister has expressed such concerns recently. On the flip-side, they’re familiar with HC because of her role as Secretary of State. She’s a known quantity. They’ve worked with her in the past and they don’t have to like her to work with her. I can’t see Trump enhancing global relations in any way, shape or form.

We’ve had people elected to parliament here who have turned out to be nightmares. Our last PM is one and an independent called Clive Palmer. My theory is that some voters think when the person takes office they will behave with more decorum and act more rationally. I think people are who they are, and if someone presents as a buffoon, they are most likely a buffoon. The traits we see when they are appealing for our votes are not going to miraculously disappear after their election.

I agree with @BellaB. Trudeau would probably have more in common with Sanders than with Clinton. However, it may be that Clinton would be better for trade between our countries, making her the least bad option. I doubt that he particularly “wanted” one to win over the other, though.

I’m sure that, like the rest of the world outside America’s borders, he finds Trump either ridiculous or dangerous, or both.

Oh – I should add that publicly, Trudeau has avoided any endorsement or condemnation of any candidate by name, even though people have tried to draw him out about it. Most leaders do; eventually they’ll have to work with whoever is elected, so why burn bridges ahead of time? For this reason, I assumed you were asking for opinions based on our knowledge of our leaders, @Jeruba, not direct quotation or paraphrasing.

Let’s take a guess as to which candidate they do not wish to see elected.

From what I understand, the majority of foreign leaders have yet to fully process the fact that Donald Trump actually is a candidate for US President.
Like the majority of Americans.

“Tomorrow something will happen that makes Trump magically disappear.” The world will right itself, and the future will be imaginable.

^ @ibstubro, no. I think the world is watching and is very aware. I suspect most leaders are hoping sanity prevails.

Foreign leaders want someone who is predictable and friendly. No one seems sure of what Trump will do, so I don’t think he would have much foreign support yet. Clinton would be the preferred candidate of most countries, because she’s the devil we know.

@FireMadeFlesh “No one seems sure of what Trump will do, so I don’t think he would have much foreign support yet. ”

It’s hard for me to read a comment like this without responding. People outside America do not respect Donald Trump. He’s not “unpredictable” because he’s an outsider or because he doesn’t play politics as usual, or whatever. The man appears to be either brain damaged or an utter moron. That kind of unpredictability makes people very nervous.

Donald Trump’s race for the Republican presidential nomination has some foreign governments confused—even worried, according to the Reuters news agency.

@dappled_leaves I’m not a US resident, so I am well aware of that sentiment. However I think it is a shallow and disingenuous sentiment. Even Trump’s most ardent enemies must admit that it takes a certain amount of knowledge of the electorate and political skill to gather the level of support he has done, in the face of determined opposition from his own party. He is unpredictable because he changes his mind on policy on a regular basis, and his economic policies aren’t well developed. That makes foreign leaders nervous. But the way he has tapped into the portion of the electorate that has been consistently neglected by the political establishment shows a great deal of insight.

I don’t exactly like the guy, but underestimate him at your peril.

I didn’t say that foreign leaders were oblivious or unaware, @Earthbound_Misfit.

Rather that they, like the majority of Americans, are in a state of disbelief. Assuming that the American ship will right itself.
As @DoNotKnowMuch said on another Fluther question, “just really hope Trump will magically lose”. We all need to get our head out of that sand.

@FireMadeFlesh “Even Trump’s most ardent enemies must admit that it takes a certain amount of knowledge of the electorate”

Only of the most cynical kind.

” and political skill to gather the level of support he has done, in the face of determined opposition from his own party.”

You cannot be serious. Do you watch American politics closely? Trump’s current success is not the result of skill. It is the result of (1) pandering to the loudest, angriest segment of the population and (2) the herd mentality. It does not take skill to succeed in this manner. It only takes a combination of money plus ego and gall, which are qualities Trump possesses in abundance.

“He is unpredictable because he changes his mind on policy on a regular basis,”

In other words, he has no policy.

“and his economic policies aren’t well developed.”

Which should be surprising, given that he is running on his assumed success in business (and that assumption alone is a faulty one). And yet…

“But the way he has tapped into the portion of the electorate that has been consistently neglected by the political establishment shows a great deal of insight.”

It’s not “insight” to target voters who are just like him. He’s doing spectacularly with white, aging racists, and wealthy people. Let’s see how he does with the broader electorate, shall we?

@dappled_leaves Pandering? Is that what it is called when a candidate listens to the populace?

@FireMadeFlesh, if they are spouting rhetoric they know will feed into the basest fears of the populace, then I agree with @dappled_leaves, the politician is pandering. Trump (as do some of our politicians), attacks Mexicans, calling them rapists and criminals. He’s questioned whether Obama is an American. He has played up the threat of the Chinese stealing American jobs. He’s argued for a blanket ban on Muslims entering the US. And so on and so on. He denigrates women who dare to challenge him.

Strong leaders do not pander to the fears and prejudices of the populace. They lead, inform and educate. Sometimes, the majority do not know best. Our politicians and leaders have access to the best information and experts. That’s why they should be able to lead from an informed position. Trump is not doing that. It’s like John Howard claiming asylum seekers threw their children overboard or Peter Dutton claiming there are terrorists amongst asylum seekers. It panders to people’s fears.

That’s not what I want for politicians who represent me. I’m sure rational US citizens want better than that too.

@Earthbound_Misfit The American people have reason to be worried about immigration from Mexico, considering the power of the drug cartels there, but of course that characterisation as “rapists and criminals” is wrong. I can’t agree with any of the other statements mentioned in your first paragraph, except for the economic impact of China. They are quite brazenly playing a dangerous economic game that could cost the West dearly.

I agree that often the majority don’t know best – an unavoidable flaw of democracy. But Trump has gained his successes through championing the sector of society that has been neglected by previous governments. Too many working class jobs have been sent off-shore. Excessive immigration has kept the minimum wage low in the US (do people really think they would still be earning $7 per hour if there weren’t desperate illegal immigrants prepared to work for less?) The US has sent billions of dollars to waste in other countries and on ineffective military acquisitions, while they let their own people suffer. While the US has gone mad trying to figure out which toilet a person should be using and vilifying Christians for not baking cakes, the existing regime has worked on the TTP and TTIP, which are irredeemably awful for the working class (yet somehow the Democrats are the champions of the poor?).

Of course there are dozens more issues that complicate the electoral choice being presented to the people of the US. But on those limited points, I find it hard to argue with Trump.

Trump isn’t “championing” working class people. He’s merely amplifying their fears and anger without any plan for alleviating them.

He’s not going to build a wall. He’s not going to make Pittsburgh a leading steel town again. He’s not going to balance the budget.

He does send jobs overseas. He says wages are too high. He wants to cut taxes for the wealthy, further shifting the burden to the middle class and increasing the deficit.

And his biggest success is duping people into thinking that mentioning a problem means wants to fix it.

@FireMadeFlesh “The American people have reason to be worried about immigration from Mexico”

Actually, net immigration from Mexico to the US is negative. America is not the promised land it was once considered to be. What is this “excessive immigration” you speak of?