Shock, Fear, and Excitement: European Leaders React to Donald Trump’s Return to the White House
European heads of states have congratulated Donald Trump on his re-election as President of the United States (Wiki Commons).
Leaders across Europe congratulated Donald Trump for his victory in the 2024 United States presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5. According to AP, Trump won the election in a landslide victory, receiving over seventy-four million votes and claiming the presidency for a second non-consecutive term.
French President Emmanuel Macron hastily congratulated Trump, writing on X that he is “ready to work together… with respect and ambition.” This contrasts Macron’s previous stabs at Trump’s nationalism and protectionist economic policy, according to POLITICO. Similarly, although Polish President Donald Tusk once denounced Trump’s endorsement of nationalist patriotism in a speech as “false and dangerous,” on November 5 he told the American president-elect that he would “look forward to cooperation.”
Other leaders who had openly criticized the former U.S. president, including European Commissioner Ursula Von Der Leyen, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, who had endorsed Kamala Harris, all congratulated Trump following his victory, according to POLITICO. The actions of European leaders are an attempt to move past their prior stances on Trump and maintain positive relations with Washington.
Prominent right-wing leaders have also shown enthusiasm in congratulating Trump: in a post on X, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary called Trump’s election “a much-needed victory for the world”; meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonio stated that the United States and Italy have “a strategic bond” that “will now strengthen even further.” However, according to DW, far-right European parties view Trump’s more radical policies, like those on abortion, as a potential risk to distance themselves from.
On Thursday, November 7, Orban hosted an informal summit in Budapest with European Leaders to discuss the new global outlook of the second Trump presidency, as reported by Radio Free Europe. They addressed the potential of U.S. withdrawal from European defense, aid to Ukraine, and the threat to NATO posed by the new administration. According to BBC, Ukrainian President Zelensky attended the event and was among the many European leaders hoping to maintain a friendly relationship with Washington so as to secure support in the war against Russia. Zelensky has voiced his concern regarding Trump’s claim that he would end the war in Ukraine swiftly, saying, “If it is going to be very fast, it will be a loss for Ukraine,” according to Al Jazeera.
Macron, Sholtz, and Tusk also argued that Europe needed to invest in its security to become less reliant on the United States following Trump’s comments in February that he would encourage Russia to invade NATO members who do not meet the two percent spending commitment, according to Radio Free Europe. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock commented, “we must now think big and make big investments in our European security,” while the French and German defense ministers were preparing to meet in Paris on Wednesday, November 6, according to Reuters. Despite Trump’s comments about NATO, Secretary-General Mark Rutte showed optimism. According to Al Jazeera, Rutte said, “leadership will again be key... I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through NATO.”