Trump win ‘would be as big a threat to world as jihadists’

A DONALD TRUMP presidency could be as damaging to the global economy as jihadist terrorism, a risk analysis group has warned.

If the billionaire reaches the White House he could initiate trade wars with China and Mexico and potentially drag down global growth by up to 1.5 per cent.

The warning was issued by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, which put a Trump presidency in sixth place among the top 10 risks currently facing the world.

His presence in the Oval Office was rated as riskier than Britain leaving the European Union or a military conflict in the South China Sea.

The report singled out Mr Trump’s “exceptional hostility” to free trade and his “exceptionally Right-wing stance on the Middle East” including his com- ments on killing terrorists’ families and going into Syria to “take the oil”.

Mr Trump’s “militaristic tendencies” would be a recruitment tool for jihadi groups and increase the risk of terrorism around the world, the group said.

The report came as Russia condemned a campaign advertisement released in the US by Mr Trump.

It showed Vladimir Putin and the terrorist “Jihadi John”, with a voice-over saying: “When it comes to facing our toughest opponents the Democrats have the perfect answer.” The film then cut to footage from earlier this year of Hillary Clinton barking like a dog during a campaign speech.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said: “We regard it negatively. The demonisation of Russia and everything connected to Russia is, unfortunately, an obligatory part of an American election campaign.”

An editorial this week China’s state- owned Global Times newspaper described Mr Trump as “big-mouthed”. It said: “Mussolini and Hitler came to power through elections, a heavy lesson for Western democracy.”

Last week a senior Dubai security official warned of a “clash of civilisations” if Mr Trump took the White House.

Mr Trump secured a series of wins when several states voted on Tuesday night, confirming him as runaway favourite for the Republican nomination.