Donald J. Trump’s march toward the Republican presidential nomination has sent shock waves through American politics and, as he continued gobbling up delegates this week, the rest of the world has started quivering, too.
From China and Russia to Europe and Australia, Mr. Trump’s ascent is being watched with increasing wariness. Could an angry reality television star really win the White House? Are street fights and name-calling what democracy has come to?
The Chinese government tends to avoid meddling in the political affairs of other countries, but this week its state-run media could not resist weighing in on Mr. Trump. An editorial in the English language Global Times pointed to the fisticuffs at his canceled rally in Chicago last Friday as evidence that democracy is a flawed system and said that Mr. Trump’s language is “abusively racist and extremist.”
“Fistfights among voters who have different political orientations is quite common in developing countries during election seasons,” it said. “Now, a similar show is shockingly staged in the U.S., which boasts one of the most developed and mature democratic election systems.”
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