How the world media sees Trudeau 2.0
International media outlets were keenly interested in Justin Trudeau’s come-frombehind victory, entranced by his looks as well as his leftof-centre politics.
Spain’s El Mundo called Trudeau Canada’s “pretty boy,” while the U.K.’s Daily Mirror said the Liberal win kicked off “what has to be the sexiest political dynasty since the Kennedys,” thanks to Trudeau’s “luscious brown hair, spellbinding eyes,” “chiselled physique” and “very manly tattoo.”
It asked: “Is Justin Trudeau the sexiest politician in the world?”
“JUSTIN TRUDEAU JUST SHOWED AMERICAN DEMOCRATS HOW TO WIN AN ELECTION.” THE NATION
The more politically minded journals drew lessons from the election outcome, although usually from their own perspectives.
“Justin Trudeau Just Showed American Democrats How to Win an Election,” declared the Nation. The left-leaning American magazine described Trudeau’s escalator ad as a “genius” move and said Democrats had much to learn from his focus on taxing the rich and public investment.
In the U.S. and Britain, the press set out to educate readers on Canada’s next leader, including his time as an MP, his famous father and his boxing skills.
“Justin Trudeau has shown that he can pull off surprises,” reported CNN, while The Atlantic magazine called the Liberal victory “one of the most surprising upsets in Canadian electoral history.”
Some of the American media reminded readers that then-president Richard Nixon called it in 1972, when he toasted to “the future prime minister of Canada: to Justin Pierre Trudeau.”
The Liberal win is “a seachange in Canadian politics after a decade under the Conservatives” so big that the shift “will be felt quickly on the world stage,” said The Guardian, before highlighting Trudeau’s plans to pull out of the U.S.-led combat mission against ISIL. Meanwhile, Mashable discussed the expectation he would lead in taking greater action on climate change.
The sweeping Liberal win highlighted cracks in the British Labour Party, reported the Guardian. Many Labour MPs commended Trudeau’s win, likening his platform to that of their leader Jeremy Corbyn. But at least one warned that the party should “learn from the election decimation of Thomas Mulcair.”
More sober commentary came from the Wall Street Journal, which said majority rule bodes well for the economy.