Obama fights new form of terror spreading across the globe

If you’re a national leader, you have a lot to worry about. Military threats. Terrorism. Economic policy. And now you can add the terror of Trump.

President Barack Obama is trying but failing to reassure foreign leaders convinced that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. They're in full-boil panic.

Sure. From inside, it may seem that we’re safe from the threat of an actual Trump presidency, but think about the rest of the world. What do they see from us? Fox News, CNN International, reruns of The Apprentice and the occasional flyover by a drone. You can bet that every time they dip a toe into American news, or look on the cover of a tabloid in any country, they get a fresh dose of Donald. And really, when’s the last time we did something that made the world think: America, yeah, they’ll do the sensible thing.

According to more than two dozen U.S. and foreign-government officials, Trump has become the starting point for what feels like every government-to-government interaction. In meetings, private dinners and phone calls, world leaders are urgently seeking explanations from Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Trade Representative Michael Froman on down. American ambassadors are asking for guidance from Washington about what they’re supposed to say. …

Obama hears world leaders’ fears about the Republican front-runner so often that he has developed a speech meant to ease their nerves.

Honestly, it’s hard to blame them. They’re probably worried about two things: the logistics behind the defense organization necessary to contain Trumpism, and all the walls that will be necessary to hold back American refugees. If Trump ever pulls ahead in the polls, watch for world leaders slipping away to innocuous meetings of the Friends of Dandelions Society or the Organization of Things That Don’t Interest You. That’s where they’ll plan the preemptive strike.