Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe agrees with Donald Trump's nationalism and hopes the U.S. president will lift sanctions against his nation.

Mugabe's comments came in a story published in The Herald, Zimbabwe's state-run newspaper.

"But anyway, when it comes to Donald Trump on the one hand talking of American nationalism . . . America for Americans — on that we agree," he said. "Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans."

And he said Trump should be given the opportunity to prove himself on foreign policy.

"I do not know," he said. "Give him time. Mr. Trump may even re-look the sanctions on Zimbabwe."

Mugabe said he did not expect Trump to win in November, but did not want Hillary Clinton in the White House.

"I was surprised by his election, but I did not like Madam Clinton to win either," he said.
"You see, I knew she could slap sanctions on us as a legacy," he said.

"Indeed (Barack) Obama did that just before he left. Why did he have to do it? Why didn't he leave it to the incoming incumbent to make his own decision? We are just now under sanctions imposed by Donald Trump but by Obama. What arrogance is that."

The International Business Times reported that Mugabe claimed in 2014 that Obama and other "imperialists" had imposed sanctions because they were afraid of him.

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