The contest to succeed President Barack Obama in the Oval Office is being tracked by media around the world as the presidential race gains momentum ahead of the polls in November 2016.
Presidential campaigns and debates to select a representative from the Democrat and Republican parties have been closely followed by the media with every move, gesture and word examined and interpreted. All eyes are trained on the front runners in the hotly contested political contest for the White House.
Here are some media reports on the presidential campaign and candidates vying for office.
UNITED STATES - The Washington Post
Bitter rivalries and infighting among Republican hopefuls have surfaced in debates such as the recent one in Greenville, North Carolina, which could threaten party unity, The Washington Post article of 14 Feb reported. The Post highlighted Donald Trump's attack on former Republican president George W Bush, branding him a liar for pushing the line about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction to mislead the American people into winning their support for the invasion of Iraq which led to the destablisation of the Middle East. The debate was held at the Peace Centre, but the event was far from civil with acrimonious attacks levelled at each candidate as they faced each other on stage.
The Post article titled, 'Debate rips open GOP wounds, and party risks tearing itself apart' said Trump sounded more like a Democrat rather than a Republican. Whether he himself will be trounced or rewarded by voters remains to be seen.
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BRITAIN - The Guardian
US Democratic hopeful, Bernie Sanders, working the crowd in Nevada over the weekend, is featured in The Guardian. The Feb 14 article titled, 'Not just a protest candidate': Sanders draws thousands to Las Vegas rally', spotlights Sanders on a campaign trail in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day which drew a packed audience in a high school football stadium.
Sanders put on his showmanship ahead of the Democratic caucus in Nevada on Saturday (Feb 20) by driving home his message on criminal justice reform, vowing to "invest in jobs and education, not jails and incarceration".
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GERMANY - Deutsche Welle
The Deutsch Welle article of Feb 12 reported that Europe-based observers fear a Trump presidency would be ruinous for the transatlantic relationship when he swept to victory in the New Hampshire primary on Feb 9. The report titled, "Would Trump, Sanders endanger the European-American relationship?" quoted a spokesperson from the European Council on Foreign Relations as saying that Trump is 'incredibly dangerous' and "angrier with America's allies than with its enemies" after Trump had openly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. In comparison to Trump, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, was seen to be naive for advocating last November that the US expand its NATO coalition to include Russia.
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RUSSIA - RUSSIA TODAY
"Hillary is used to beating, kicking and abusing her own husband - former Nixon adviser" is the headline of an interview posted on Russia Today with the author of a new book about the Clintons called, 'The Clintons war on Women". Presenter, Sophie Shevardnadze on her programme, Sophie & Co. interviews Roger Stone, a former adviser to Presidents Nixon and Reagan, about the Clintons' treatment of women and the issue of domestic abuse.
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ISRAEL - The Jerusalem Post
Ted Cruz is seen to be negative towards Jews by his comments which appear to be anti-Semitic by his slamming of neo-conservatives, many of whose leading thinkers are Jewish. The Jerusalem Post article of Feb 11 titled, "Ted Cruz campaign defends pastor who said God will send hunters for Jews" points to the Cruz campaign's endorsement of controversial Kansas evangelical pastor Mike Bickle who has said that Jews will be hunted and put in death camps before Jesus returns.
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TURKEY - Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman published a report on Feb 14 on Donald Trump's use of profanity when describing how he would bomb Islamic State outposts in the Middle East. The Associated Press article titled, "Trump defends use of profanities in rallies" reported that at a New Hampshire rally last week, Trump repeated a supporter's vulgar insult of close Democratic rival Sen Ted Cruz.
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SOUTH KOREA - The Korea Herald
The Korea Herald carried a Yonhap news agency report on Bernie Sanders missing a Senate vote to approve a set of stringent sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.
The Feb 12 article titled, "US presidential hopeful Sanders under fire for missing Senate vote on Pyongyang sanctions" noted that the senator from Vermont was among four in the 100-member Senate who did not vote on the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2016. The legislation passed in a 96-0 vote, demonstrating bipartisan support for a tough response to the North.
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CHINA - China Daily
Economic issues have been missing from the US presidential primaries, noted The China Daily, in its news article titled, "Economic issues sidelined in U.S. presidential primary" sourced from the Xinhua news agency. This is in stark contrast with what had happened four or eight years ago when economic issues dominated the campaign amid the worst financial crisis in decades. The report stated that for years, US wage earners have barely seen their incomes grow, while inflation is far below the Federal Reserve's two per cent target.
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JAPAN - Mainichi Shimbun
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary was reported in the Mainichi Shimbun. Its Feb 11 article by the Associated Press titled, "Sanders defeats Clinton, Trump wins in New Hampshire" stated that while Sanders' victory means he's assured of a majority of the state's pledged delegates, Clinton remains ahead in the overall delegate count due to support from super delegates -- the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice at the convention. Overall, Clinton has amassed at least 392 delegates and Sanders at least 42; the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination is 2,382.
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INDIA - Times of India
Former US President Bill Clinton made the news in the Times of India on Feb 16 as the other half of the political teammate in the other Clinton's presidential bid in the article titled, "Hillary Clinton campaign deploys husband Bill very carefully". The Agence France-Presse report had Bill Clinton walking voters through Hillary Clinton's policy priorities, stressing the need to invest in infrastructure, renewable energy, small business, college affordability and paid leave. He sprinkled his remarks with his wife's foreign policy and domestic accomplishments as First Lady, New York Senator and Secretary of State.
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THE PHILIPPINES - The Philippine Daily Inquirer
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate was featured in The Philippine Enquirer on Feb 13 about her efforts to woo women voters during her Democratic presidential primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Feb 11.
"We need a leader on women's issues to protect the hard-fought gains that women have made that, make no mistake about it, are under tremendous attack," Clinton was quoted as saying in the report titled, "Clinton walks tightrope to woo women voters".
For the full story, click here.
MALAYSIA - New Straits Times
"Trump's US presidential bid is no publicity stunt" was featured in the New Straits Times on Feb 10 which carried a Reuters report on Democratic candidate Donald Trump's campaign reaching voters who may not have otherwise engaged in the political process. He had just won the Democratic nominee contest in the New Hampshire primary after coming in second the week before in Iowa after fellow contender Ted Cruz took the top position.
