We connected with our old translator the other day. As we walked around Taraz, she asked me what I thought about Trump and was surprised by my negative reaction. She said that she and everyone else in Kazakhstan did not expect Trump to win, but most people in Kazakhstan were happy it happened about it because they thought it would mean better U.S.-Russian relations (as a land-locked former soviet republic with a massive border with Russia, the Kaz economy is still heavily tied to Russia's). She doesn't think that materialized, but Trump generally gets good press in Kaz because their press is still largely the Russian press. She was not aware that Trump has ever expressed any hostility to Muslims or foreigners.
