Donald Trump’s stunning victory in the 2024 U.S. election has sparked worldwide reactions, with leaders from across the globe offering congratulations. Despite a controversial past, including his role in the Capitol riot, Trump’s political comeback has been celebrated by figures such as Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, and India’s Narendra Modi. His return promises significant shifts in global policies, including trade tariffs and immigration reform, drawing both anticipation and concern.
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By Jenni Marsh
World leaders congratulated Donald Trump as he stormed to victory in the US election, capping one of the most tumultuous campaigns in modern political history to defeat his Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump’s win marks a stunning comeback. The Republican left the White House in disgrace four years ago after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol in a bid to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden. But voters bruised by the biggest surge of inflation in four decades rejected Harris, who stepped in at the 11th hour with her bid to become America’s first female leader.
If he sticks to his word, Trump’s triumph will send shockwaves across the world. He’s threatened to upend global trade with 60% tariffs on China and as much as 20% on everyone else, vowed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine “in 24 hours” likely with concessions for Kyiv, and called for deporting more than 11 million undocumented immigrants from the US.
Here are reactions from around the world:
Europe and Middle East
Olaf Scholz, German chancellor
Emmanuel Macron, French president
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine president
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister
Keir Starmer, British prime minister
Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president
Erdogan congratulated his “friend Donald Trump,” in a post on social media platform X. “In this new period, I wish for stronger Turkey-US ties and an end to regional and global wars and crises, foremost the Palestine issue and Russia-Ukraine war,” he added.
Asia Pacific
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister
Anthony Albanese, Australian prime minister
Albanese said in a statement that he would “work closely” with the Trump administration to “realize the benefits of our strong economic partnership.”
“Australia and America are old allies and we are true friends,” he added. “I look forward to talking with President Trump and working with him in the best interests of both our nations.”
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Philippines president
Marcos said in a statement that Trump’s victory signaled “the American people triumphed.” “I have personally met President Trump as a young man, so I know that his robust leadership will result in a better future for all of us,” he added. Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korean president
Shigeru Ishiba, Japanese prime minister
Ishiba offered his “heartfelt congratulations” to Trump, saying that he wanted to quickly “establish a point of contact” with the US president-elect. “I would like to work closely with Trump to take the Japan-US alliance and Japan-US relations to a new level,” he told reporters in Tokyo.
Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian prime minister
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan prime minister
Americas
Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president
Africa
Bola Tinubu, Nigerian president
Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu said he expected Trump’s return to the White House to “usher in an era of earnest, beneficial and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the US,” according to a statement emailed by the presidency in the capital, Abuja.
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