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 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.
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"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.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; additional reporting by Jonathan
Landay, Phil Stewart, David Brunnstrom, and Emily Flitter; editing
by Stuart Grudgings.)
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