World Leaders React to Donald Trump Winning the U.S Election

Leaders and officials across the world reacted with shock, hope and congratulations, as Donald Trump confounded polls and surged to victory over Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential elections early on Wednesday morning.

“I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans,” Trump said in his victory speech.

Mexico

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted his congratulations to Trump in a string of posts. “Mexico and the U.S. are friends, partners and allies who should continue working for the competitiveness and the development of North America,” he wrote.

“I am confident that Mexico and the United States will continue to tighten its ties of cooperation and mutual respect,” he added.

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he hopes Trump’s election marks a new era in the U.S. that he hopes will lead to “beneficial” steps for fundamental rights, liberties and democracy in the world, the Associated Press reports.

Addressing a business group in Istanbul on Wednesday, Erdogan told the crowd that he hopes the result will be auspicious for the region. “Personally and on behalf of the nation, I wish to consider this decision by the American people a positive sign and wish them a successful future,” he said.

Italy

Italy’s Premier Matteo Renzi offered his congratulations to Trump, brushing aside political differences following his repeated public endorsements of Hillary Clinton.

“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, at the start of a speech in Rome.

See How the World’s Newspapers Reported Donald Trump Victory

China

Chinese President Xi Jinping phoned Trump to congratulate him on winning the U.S. presidency, state TV reported Wednesday. “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 said, according to Fortune.

Afghanistan

The former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, tweeted his congratulations to Trump and wished him “all the success”.

Russia

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin reportedly offered Trump his congratulations, and “expressed confidence that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, in keeping with each other’s views, meets the interests of both Russia and the U.S.,” Russia Today reported.

“(Trump) spoke about resuming and restoring relations with Russia,” Putin said, according to CNN. “We understand the way to that will be difficult, taking into account the current state of degradation of relations between the US and Russia…. Russia is ready and wants to restore the fully fledged relations with the US.”

Poland

Marek Magierowski, a spokesman for the Polish president, said Poland cares a lot about whether Trump will implement NATO decisions to deploy military deterrence forces in Poland and the Baltic states, the Associated Press reported.

Magierowski told the state’s Radio 1 that it is a priority for Poland to see the implementation of NATO’s decision to have a base for battalions in the region, including a U.S. armored brigade to be stationed in Poland, and also the construction of a U.S. missile defense base.

Rwanda

The Republic of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame congratulated Trump on his “well earned victory,” adding he was looking forward to a continued good relationship with the U.S.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on being elected the United States’ 45th President. “President-elect Trump is a true friend of the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “I look forward to working with him to advance security, stability and peace in our region.”

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered Trump “close cooperation” on the basis of shared trans-Atlantic values that she says include respect for human dignity regardless of people’s origin, gender or religion.

She told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that the campaign which ended in Trump’s victory featured “confrontations that were difficult to bear,” the Associated Press reports. She described Germany’s partnership with the U.S. as “a foundation stone of German foreign policy.”

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted, ‘The world won’t end, but things will get more crazy,” while his colleague, Defence Minister Usula von der Leyen, told Reuters the result was a “huge shock” and asked Trump for clarification on whether the U.S. would remain committed to NATO.

The European Council

President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, tweeted a letter of congratulations to Trump, inviting him for an early summit to chart E.U.-U.S. relations.

France

In France, the leader of the far-right Front National party, Marine Le Pen — who hopes to emulate Trump’s populist victory in France’s April-May presidential elections — congratulated Trump, and the “American people, free!”

French President Francois Hollande said Trump’s victory marks the start of “a period of uncertainty.” “This new context requires that France be strong,” he said, in a televised address. “What is at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the Middle East and the preservation of the planet.”

The United Kingdom

The U.K.’s new Prime Minister Theresa May said she looked forward to working with Trump, saying “We are, and will remain strong and close partners on trade, security and defense.”

Meanwhile Brexiter Nigel Farage — who endorsed Trump on the campaign trail — said he was handing his “mantle” to the President-elect.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon released released a statement that said while the election did not have the outcome she hoped for, “it is the verdict of the American people and we must respect it”.

“We value our relationship with the United States and its people,” she added. “The ties that bind Scotland and the U.S. – of family, culture and business – are deep and longstanding and they will always endure.” Sturgeon then tweeted a message to Clinton, thanking her for her candidacy, which she described as “a milestone for women”.

Australia

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s Prime Minister took to Twitter to convey hopes of a good working relationship with the U.S.

India

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Trump for “the friendship [he] articulated towards India” during his campaign.

Singapore

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong congratulated Donald Trump on winning the US Presidential Election, saying that his victory has “defied expectations”.

“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 wrote, in a Facebook post. “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.”

Lee compared Trump’s victory to the U.K.’s Brexit referendum. “But like the Brexit referendum in June, Mr Trump’s victory is part of a broader pattern in developed countries – reflecting a deep frustration with the way things are, and a strong wish to reassert a sense of identity, and somehow to change the status quo,” he added.

The Philippines

And in Southeast Asia, there were congratulations from the offices of the Burmese president and the office of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, which released a statement saying the Philippines looked forward to enhanced relations with the U.S. anchored on “mutual respect.”

Thailand

And Thai junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand would “cherish” its ties with the U.S., saying, “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,” according to the Bangkok Post.