Far-right foreign leaders have had enough of Trump's meddling

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump trashes so many norms that it’s easy to overlook how outlandish some of his actions are.

- MAX BOOT

CARDBOARD cutouts depicting Argentina's President Javier Gerardo Milei and US President Donald Trump during a rally in Buenos Aires. Trump interfered in last year's election in Argentina making it clear that Argentina would receive a $20 billion bailout only if Milei won. NurPhoto via AFP

(NurPhoto via AFP)

Take his habit of formally endorsing candidates in other countries’ elections. Previous presidents occasionally made their preferences plain, often to their subsequent regret.

Bill Clinton was supportive of Boris Yeltsin in Russia’s 1996 election and Barack Obama was critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s 2015 election. But seldom, if ever, have presidents interjected themselves as brazenly as Trump has done in foreign politics.

Earlier this month, Trump offered his “complete and total endorsement” to both Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (“a strong, powerful and wise leader”) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, also “a truly strong and powerful leader” (but perhaps not wise?). Conversely, he has demanded that Iraqi lawmakers not select Nouri al-Maliki, who is considered close to Iran, as prime minister.

Last year, Trump endorsed Nasry Asfura in Honduras’s presidential election and Javier Milei in Argentina’s election. In the latter case, Trump made clear that Argentina would receive a $20billion (R3.9bn) bailout only if Milei won. Previous foreign leaders who have received Trump’s electoral blessing include Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Boris Johnson in Britain, Karol Nawrocki in Poland and Giuseppe Conte in Italy.