Obama says world leaders are ‘rattled’ by Donald Trump

The US President was at a G7 meeting in Japan when he made the remark

Mr Obama said Donald Trump cares more about 'headlines and tweets' than anything else (AP)

President Barack Obama has acknowledged world leaders’ concerns about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and said they are “rattled” by the rise of the businessman.

Speaking at a press conference in Japan where he is meeting with G7 leaders, Mr Obama discussed the 2016 election campaign and said that his foreign counterparts are taken aback by Mr Trump’s success in the US primaries.

“I think it's fair to say they are surprised by the Republican nominee, they are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements, but they're rattled by him, and for good reason,” Mr Obama said.

“A lot of the proposals that he's made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines, instead of actually thinking through what it is that's required to keep America safe, secure and prosperous, and what's required to keep the world on an even keel.”

The annual meeting welcomed leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“Things don't roll together so well if the United States is not making good decisions,” said Mr Obama, answering another press question about Mr Trump.

He specifically avoided commenting on his own party, according to Politico, but when asked whether it would be nice for the Democratic nominee to have time off, he responded: “Absolutely. I guarantee you that the eventual nominee sure wishes it was over now.”

Hillary Clinton and Mr Trump won the Washington state primary on 24 May.

Also on the G7 agenda was the European refugee crisis, gender equality, the Brexit referendum on 23 June, terrorism, the economy and infrastructure.

Mr Obama will visit the peace park at Hiroshima before he leaves, becoming the first sitting US President to visit the site where the US dropped an atomic bomb in 1945.