As news broke that Donald J. Trump, the billionaire business man from Queens beat his career government opponent, Hillary Clinton, in a shock defeat, leaders from around the world shared their input on the election of the soon-to-be President. Some expressed shock, some were congratulatory, and some just shared the news and acted with a sense of indifference. With U.S. relations failing over the past eight years with some of our nations top allies, the reactions from these other nations leaders may give us a taste of how the relationships will be moving forward over the next few years with our next leader, Donald J. Trump.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has been a highly discussed figure during the election season, came out with applause for Donald Trump with a congratulations and a positive attitude that relations between the two countries could once again be on the road to recovery. During a speech in front of ambassadors, Putin expressed appreciation for Trump’s campaign rhetoric of looking to renew the friendship that has been tarnished during the Obama presidency. The Kremlin also confirmed via its website that Putin issued a telegram to Donald Trump following the election news where he “expressed his hope to work together for the removal of Russian-American relations from the crisis.”
Another hot topic during the election season was Mexico and the controversial building of “the wall.” On Twitter, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto offered congratulations and hoped the two nations could keep their friendly relationship.
“Mexico and the U.S. are friends, partners and allies who should continue working for the competitiveness and the development of North America,” Nieto stated in one of his tweets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a very warm congratulations to his friend and President-elect Donald Trump. You can hear his kind words below:
Despite endorsing Hillary Clinton, Italy’s Premier Matteo Renzi congratulated Trump during a speech in Rome.
“In the name of Italy, I congratulate the president of the United States and wish him well in his work, convinced that the Italian-American friendship remains strong and solid,” he said.
According to Fortune, Chinese President called Donald Trump to congratulate him. “I place great importance on the China-U.S. relationship, and look forward to working with you to uphold the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” Jinping told Fortune.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai tweeted out his well wished for the new President and the American people.
A spokesman for Poland’s President told a state radio that Poland’s number one priority is to see the implementation of NATO’s decision to have a base in the region which would include a U.S. armored brigade and the construction of a U.S. missile defense base. The AP reported that Spokesman Marek Magierowski said they care mostly about whether or not Trump will work to make that happen.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Wednesday that hearing of Trumps victory brought “confrontations that were difficult to bear.” Merkel offered Trump “close cooperation” on the basis of respect for human dignity, as Merkel has been a big proponent of taking in Syrian refugees while Trump has campaigned against such a motion.
The European Council President Tweets congratulations for Trump, along with a letter inviting him to a summit for U.S. and European relations.
French President Tweeted a video offering congratulations towards Trump.
In a statement on Facebook, U.K. PM Theresa May said the following:
“I would like to congratulate Donald Trump on being elected the next President of the United States, following a hard-fought campaign.
Britain and the United States have an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.
We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defence.
I look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump, building on these ties to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead.”
Scotland’s First Minister issued a statement saying that while she was a supporter of Hillary Clinton, the election of Trump ” is the verdict of the American people and we must respect it.”
Australia’s Prime Minister, Malcom Turnbull, shared his congratulations over Twitter.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, took to Twitter to share congratulations and to say that “We look forward to working with you closely to take India-US bilateral ties to a new height.”
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong congratulated Donald Trump in a Facebook post saying “Congratulations to President-Elect Donald Trump! His candidacy took many by surprise. At each stage he defied expectations, and his journey has ultimately taken him to the White House.”
He also added that “It has been a contentious, ugly election season, that has exposed a bitter divide in the American people. Many will celebrate this result, while others will understandably be surprised and disappointed.”
The Thai junta leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, said “We have to be prepared and adjust ourselves to change. We have to be on the offensive and apply a balanced foreign policy with every country in the world that is our trade or dialogue partner,”
President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who has been an outspoken opponent of President Obama in recent days, shared some kind words for the President-elect, having an open mind about continuing good relations with the United States.
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