Hun Sen, an authoritarian premier who leans heavily on bombast and brash statements, said today he "really wanted" Trump to clinch next week's US presidential poll, extolling the billionaire Republican's potential as a global peacemaker.
"Frankly speaking, I really want Trump to win," Hun Sen said in a speech to hundreds of police cadets in the capital Phnom Penh.
"If Trump wins, the world might change and the situation would become better because Trump is a businessman, and as businessman, Trump will not want war," he added.
"But if Trump wins, Trump and Putin could be friends," Hun Sen said today.
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The Russian president is one of few other world leaders to praise Trump, calling him a "very bright and talented person".
A handful of other endorsements have come from right-wing politicians in Europe, including Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and Czech President Milos Zeman.
In an extraordinarily divisive campaign, Trump has hurled insults at women, hispanics, Muslims and called into question long-standing alliances with nations around the globe.
The sudden narrowing of the race has also sent shudders through financial markets, with most investors considering democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a safer, more stable bet.
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