Democrat Hillary Clinton (R) and Republican Donald Trump attend their first presidential debate in Hempstead of New York, the United States, Sept. 26, 2016. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Monday held their first presidential debate in Hempstead. (Xinhua/Qin Lang)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton both hold German Chancellor Angela Merkel as their favorite world leader.
"I think Merkel is a really great world leader," Trump said in an interview with New England's NECN on Thursday.
"I was always a Merkel person... But I think she made a very tragic mistake a year and a half ago," referring to Merkel's decision to take refugees from Syria.
Trump has long criticized the danger of taking in Mideast refugees, comparing the crisis to the Trojan Horse.
On Thursday, Clinton also joined the discussion about her favorite world leaders.
"One of my favorites is Angela Merkel because I think she's been an extraordinary, strong leader during difficult times in Europe, which has obvious implications for the rest of the world and, most particularly, our country," she said during a chat with reporters aboard her campaign plane in Chicago.
Clinton spoke highly of Merkel's leadership on the Euro crisis and her bravery in the face of the refugee crisis.
She said she had known Merkel since the 1990s, hoping to have the opportunity to work with her in the future.
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News Analysis: First Trump-Clinton debate has yet to convince undecided voters
NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded barbs in unusually personal terms during their first presidential debate, with Clinton blasting Trump for dodging taxes and being sexist and racist, and Trump accusing Clinton of lacking stamina for the presidency.
Their performance in the relentlessly derogatory showdown Monday night may help appease some voter concerns about their respective physical and mental fitness for presidency, but is far from building enough trust among undecided voters to chart a path to win the decisive 270 electoral votes for the Oval Office, U.S. experts said. Full story
