Global Reactions to the American Presidential Election

On Tuesday, November 5th, millions of Americans made their way to the polls to select their next president. On the Democratic ticket was Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, while on the Republican ticket was former President Donald Trump and Senator from Ohio JD Vance. In July, current President Joe Biden pulled out of the race after polling quite poorly against Trump and endorsed Kamala Harris. Ever since, polls had been extremely close nationally, and 50/50 in the vital 7 swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada. 

After much campaigning, spending, and two debates between the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates respectively, it was still anyone’s race. The 2 parties were both confident in their candidates, but it was Donald Trump who would ultimately prevail. He swept all 7 swing states, while also leading in the popular vote, which he failed to do versus Hilary Clinton or Joe Biden in 2016 and 2020 respectively. Not only did the republicans see success in the presidential race, but they also saw major successes down ballot turning the senate red while flipping 4 seats in the process (Montana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania), and as of writing this they look poised to retain the House of Representatives. This big sweep for the republicans plus having 6 justices on the Supreme Court will essentially allow President Trump to pass whatever bills he wants and appoint whoever he wants into high government positions. 

So as President Trump is set to reprise his role as the commander in chief of the world’s largest economy and military, what does the rest of the world think? From enthusiasm to anxiety, let’s have a look at some opinions of major politicians worldwide. 

Russia

President Vladimir Putin is a man whom Mr. Trump has praised on multiple occasions. On Friday, November 8th, Putin congratulated the former president on his victory, calling him a “courageous man” at an event in the city of Sochi.

The former President has said multiple times that he will end the war in Ukraine “in a day” but has never described what that may look like. Putin said that these claims “deserve attention at least.” 

President Trump has also repeatedly criticized America’s aid to Ukraine.

These words from Putin come after the Press Secretary of the Kremlin said that there were no plans for Putin to congratulate Trump and called the United States an “unfriendly” country. 

The head of the foreign affair committee in Russia’s Duma (Parliament), Leonid Slutsky, was quoted by state-run news agency RIA Novosti saying that Trump’s victory offered “a chance for a more constructive approach to the Ukraine Conflict.”

In 2016, The Kremlin was accused of election inference and aiding the Trump campaign against Hilary Clinton. However, US Special Counsel at the time Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion between Trump and Putin. 

Ukraine

Since February 2022, Ukraine has been fighting for survival after a Russian invasion. Now with President Trump winning the election, Ukraine could risk losing its biggest financial backer. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Trump hailing an “impressive election victory,” adding that he looked forward to “an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.”

“I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy on social media. 

But what do the people on the front lines think? The Associated Press talked to a commander known by “Mozart” who said, “I hope that the quantity of weapons, the quantity of guns for our victory will increase,” and that “We don’t care who the next president is, as long as they don’t cut us off from help, because we need it.” 

The Kyiv Independent spoke to 6 soldiers on their opinions, and these were a few of their responses: 

Serhii Koniukh, a 44 year old anesthetist on the front lines, said, “What about the future of Ukraine? Well, you understand, all this was some kind of pre-election talk between two different candidates. And it's clear that the Democrats supported us more. There was military support, which will be uncertain now (going forward).” He added, “But, I want to say that you have to rely on yourself first, not on someone else, not on your older brother, not on your friends, but on yourself. I've always said that in everything, in work, business, everyday life, rely only on yourself.” 

“Spys,” a 35-year-old junior lieutenant, said, “Commenting on Trump's quote that he can end the war in a day, I can say this: Do I want the war to end? Every soldier in the Armed Forces and every civilian apparently wants it to end. But if the war ends at this stage, in 10-20 years it will start again? Yes, It will start again.”

“Bart,” a sniper, said, “I think this is America's business. I don't think that with the election of Trump, support for Ukrainians will stop. I think that, on the contrary, there will be more decisive actions.”

Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Trump’s victory as “history’s greatest comeback!” 

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” wrote Netanyahu on X. 

When the Israeli people were polled on whom they would like to see in the White House, 65 percent of respondents chose Trump, and among those who identified as Jewish, a resounding 72 percent said Israel would be better served by Trump over Harris. 

On Tuesday night before all polls had closed, and Trump had a lead in major swing states, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted “Yesssss” with a flexing bicep emoji, as well as the flags of Israel and America. 

Israeli analysts believe that a Trump presidency will help them end the conflict in Gaza on terms more favorable to Israel. Despite the fact that Trump has criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war, it was largely believed that Netanyahu favored Trump in this election cycle. 

Palestinian Territories 

The president of the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Trump on his reelection and wished him success. In his message on the Authority-run news agency WAFA, Abbas spoke about his desire to work with Trump to achieve peace and security in the region. 

The Gaza strip is controlled by Hamas and not Abbas. Hamas said that the election was America's matter, but also called for an end to the “blind support” towards Israel from the Americans. In a statement, Hamas said Trump must “listen to the voices of the American community itself rejecting the aggression on Gaza,” and that the new administration “must realize that our people are continuing to confront the occupation and will not accept a path that diminishes their rights.”

China 

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that “We will continue to view and handle China-U.S. relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and cooperation for a win-win.”  She also congratulated President Trump and wished him success. 

President Xi Jinping also congratulated Trump and called for both nations to find the “right way to get along.”

In the President-Elect’s economic plan, tariffs are to be placed on Chinese imports, and Trump has in his past often called China an adversary. 

Mexico 

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said that Trump’s victory was “no cause for concern” for Mexico. Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican imports unless Sheibaum’s government halts the “onslaught of criminals and drugs” making its way across the southern border. Trump also intends on enacting a mass deportation of America’s 11 million illegal migrants, 5 million of whom, the MPI estimates, are Mexican.

Europe 

Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte congratulated Trump on his election victory and said that his “leadership will again be key in keeping our alliance strong.” 

Trump has repeatedly criticised European members of the alliance for failing to commit at least 2% of their annual GDP to defense budgets. In his first term, Trump shocked European allies when criticizing their funding commitments. Calling on allies to pay up in defense spending is a policy he will likely aggressively pursue. 

French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer, Italian President Georgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen all congratulated Trump and expressed their desire to enhance the trans-Atlantic partnership between them and the U.S.

In conclusion, America's outlook on foreign policy will see big changes under the upcoming Trump administration. Despite the congratulations, reports suggest major allies are concerned about Trump’s win. Donald Trump on the campaign trail threatened to impose new tariffs on nations such as Canada, Mexico, and China. In addition to tariffs, he claimed that he would resolve the war in Ukraine in a swift manner, while rethinking “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission.” These statements on foreign policy coupled with the reactions from world leaders only raise questions on what the next 4 years will hold. As a nation, we’ll have to wait and see.