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Trump’s returning to the White House. Here’s how the world reacted.

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Trump’s returning to the White House. Here’s how the world reacted.

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LONDON − He’s promised there will be no wars during his presidency. The one between Russia and Ukraine? He will end that “in a day.” And he will, he says, bring peace to the Middle East, too.

Nevertheless, the immediate reaction to former President Donald Trump’s election victory Wednesday was that Iran’s currency hit an all-time low against the dollar. There was no rush to praise him by American adversaries such as Russia or North Korea. In Gaza, Hamas said it still intends to take the fight to Israel.

Yet news of Trump’s impending return to the White House did see leaders and allies unleash a wave of warm wishes and congratulations − and what appeared to be a little polite nudging − in the direction of a future U.S. president who in his first term was regarded by many as a turbulent and unpredictable figure on the world stage.

Many of these good wishes arrived even before most media outlets called his win.

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On the campaign trail, Trump claimed El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele wasn’t doing such a “wonderful job” on preventing immigration to the U.S. and was sending his country’s “murderers” over the border. Bukele early Wednesday nevertheless appeared to be the first world leader to welcome a new Trump presidency.

“May God bless and guide you,” Bukele said in what seemed to be a veiled reference to their spat.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was nearly assassinated in May, said Trump’s victory was a “defeat of liberal and progressive ideas.” The election was, he added, a confirmation to “never trust the media and polls.”

There was also praise for Trump from Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban who mirrored some of Trump’s own signature phrasing in a Facebook post by talking about his “beautiful victory.”

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said Trump’s victory was a win for “patriotism, border control, tax cuts, Christian roots, freedom of speech (and a) commitment to world peace.” British lawmaker and Brexit provocateur Nigel Farage said in a text message Trump’s win was a “great result for the world. He is a genuine friend of the U.K.”

What does Trump’s victory mean for Ukraine?

Beyond off-the-cuff remarks, Trump hasn’t fully articulated his foreign policy.

He hasn’t, for example, specified how he could settle the war between Ukraine and Russia.

But Ukraine has been watching the vote closely to see what the outcome could mean for American support for its attempt to beat back Russia’s invasion. The president-elect and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, have both cast doubt on their commitment to give Kyiv more arms and financing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a flattering statement Wednesday that appeared to acknowledge some of the unease now being felt in his country.

“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” Zelensky said. “This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer.”

In Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said ending conflict in Ukraine overnight was “impossible.”

“I’m sure many European leaders will tell themselves in the coming weeks that they can win Trump over, sweet talk him, pump up his inflated ego, etc etc.,” wrote Phillips P. O’Brien, a professor of strategic security studies at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, in his Ukraine-focused newsletter on Wednesday.

“Maybe they can − but also maybe they can’t. And this is the rub.”

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When Trump last occupied the White House from 2017 to 2021, serving and former international officials and foreign affairs experts from Berlin to Sydney routinely accused him of slashing and burning his way through global agreements and commitments on climate change, trade, overseas troop deployments, public health, nuclear weapons and more.

Trump roiled U.S. foreign partners with his inflammatory language and disregard for diplomatic protocol. This included repeated threats to withdraw the U.S. from NATO, widely considered the bedrock of transatlantic security for 75 years.

“There will definitely be anxiety in many European capitals this morning as they wake up to the news Trump is back,” said Michael Martins, the founder of London-based Overton Advisory, a political consultancy. “Although some will think four years is a short time that they can wait out, the reality is that Trump’s foreign and trade policies are much more well defined now and his team are experienced enough to execute it quickly.”

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Backing from Trump may be something Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is counting on as he weathers intensifying domestic and international pressure to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, without leading to the return of all of Israel’s hostages. As Americans were voting Tuesday, Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, triggering protests across Israel.

More than a year of frustrated American diplomatic pressure aimed at getting Netanyahu to curb Israel’s destruction and high death toll in Gaza and allow in more humanitarian has failed. Netanyahu has long touted his close relationship with Trump and Israel’s leader appears to believe that his win is good for Israel.

“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,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.

“This is a huge victory!”

‘Maximum pressure’: World reacts to Trump win

In his first term, Trump used what his administration called a “maximum pressure” policy to try to force Iran, mostly though economic sanctions, to abandon its nuclear program. He also pulled the U.S. out of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that independent nuclear monitors said was largely working.

The Biden administration has not re-entered that agreement and U.S.-Iran relations have spiraled as Tehran and militant groups it backs such as Hamas and Hezbollah have became further entangled in fighting U.S. ally Israel after Hamas invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and taking hostages back to Gaza.

A spokesperson for Iran’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment on Trump’s election win and what it could mean. The two countries that narrowly avoided a war in Trump’s first term after Trump ordered the assassination of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general in an air strike on Baghdad airport.

Elsewhere, there are signs Trump could seek to threaten adversaries and allies alike, for different reasons.

In fact, he already has.

Andrew Law, the founder The Mexico Brief, a news and analysis platform, described Trump’s election as a “sobering and uncertain moment for Mexico.” He said Mexico’s most crucial relationship is with the U.S. and that recently elected President Claudia Sheinbaum will probably intensify efforts to halt migrants heading to the U.S. from their shared border, not least because Trump has vowed to impose tariffs on Mexico if she doesn’t.

Law said Mexico just about “weathered” Trump’s first term. His second one may be just as challenging for the U.S.’s southern neighbor. Trump has said Sheinbaum will be the first world leader he calls when taking office.

In Europe, Peter Beyer, a conservative German lawmaker who is a member of that country’s parliamentary foreign relations committee, said he expected a fresh Trump administration − Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025 − to “deliver” on an agenda that will push for more NATO-member defense spending and “heavy” trade protectionism.

Trump has floated the idea of imposing tariffs of 10% or 20% on all goods imported into the U.S. and even higher tariffs of 60% or more on Chinese-made products.

“Trump 2.0,” said Beyer, will be “quicker and dirtier” on trade and NATO.

In China, Henry Huiyao Wang, a former senior adviser to China’s government and the founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank, appeared to agree with that assessment.

“If he selects a hawkish team to dominate U.S. policy, his administration likely will not only force Chinese enterprises to reduce exports to the U.S. but may also reduce non-governmental contacts between the two countries, such as educational and academic exchanges, thus impacting public perceptions on both sides.”

Wang said he expected to Trump to adopt “pragmatic attitude” toward Taiwan, the self-governing island territory that Beijing views as part of China, and has vowed to reunite with the mainland − and that the U.S. had pledged to defend.

‘America strong at home and abroad’

Daniel DePetris, a foreign affairs fellow at Defense Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said it’s “very hard to predict the policies of a man who values unpredictability.”

“The general assumption is Trump 2.0 will be far less restrained this time around,” said DePetris.

“Foreign governments, allies and adversaries alike, will certainly be planning for the worst. But the worst was anticipated when Trump first won in 2016 and his term, despite the rhetoric and sloppy policy process, was actually more rooted in the status-quo than one might expect,” he said.

In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his ruling center-left Labour Party are not natural Trump allies.

But Starmer said he looked forward to working with Trump. “As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.”

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was more direct.

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“Huge congratulations to Donald Trump on his amazing victory. I have no doubt he will now set about making America strong at home and abroad,” he said.

A few hours after those statements were released British police arrested two men − environmental activists − who sprayed orange paint on a section of the U.S. embassy building in London, an apparent protest at Trump’s victory.

Breaking down the election results: Sign up for USA TODAY’s On Politics newsletter for updates and exclusive analysis.

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