The European Union has accepted Donald Trump’s victory with dismay. Although it was a more than plausible scenario for which it had been preparing for some time, the entry into the race of Vice President Kamala Harris gave hope to the other side of the Atlantic, where they feared that the return of the populist Republican leader to the White House would restore what worst of his previous mandate: trade war, disorder, lack of understanding, withdrawal from multilateral agreements… And now that the polls have closed, it has become a reality and the European governments give him a lukewarm congratulations while the extreme right rejoices at having one of its own back at the helm of the great world power.
“The EU and the US are more than just allies. We are united by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. Let us, therefore, work together on a solid transatlantic agenda that continues to deliver results for them,” the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter), who created a specific working group in her team to prepare for the consequences of the elections in the United States.
Von der Leyen’s statement incorporates, however, a warning for maintaining good relations between the world’s two main trading partners: “Millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on both sides of the Atlantic depend on dynamism and stability of our economic relationship.”
What was expected of Harris was basically a continuation of Joe Biden’s policies, with whom ties were resumed after four years of complicated relations during Trump’s first term. His return sets off all the alarms due to the possibility of him imposing generic tariffs on the EU, which would be a serious blow to European finances. And in geopolitical terms, the big concern is what may happen with support for Ukraine. Trump, who is not exactly on good terms with Volodymyr Zelensky, has always said that he would end that war. The big unknown is how and at what price.
French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the first to react by congratulating Trump. “Ready to work together, as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity”, he said in while “cooperating with the United States and defending European interests and values.” Trump’s victory comes precisely when the leaders of the Franco-German axis are in trouble due to the crisis of the tripartite coalition in Berlin, which has not recovered, and the defeat of the liberals in the French legislative elections.
The subdued congratulations have continued, such as that of Pedro Sánchez, who has limited himself to congratulating him and highlighting the work on “strategic bilateral relations and a stronger transatlantic association.”
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been more emphatic in giving her “sincere congratulations” to the president-elect. “Italy and the United States are “brother” nations, united by an unbreakable alliance, common values and a historic friendship. It is a strategic link, which I am sure we will now strengthen even more,” he also expressed through that social network.
Orbán: “A necessary victory for the world”
Far-right leaders have gloried in Trump’s victory. The one who has done so most explicitly has been the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who has been the one who has maintained the most intense relations during this time with the former president, with whom he met during his trip to the United States to participate at the NATO summit. Orbán included the Republican in the appointments of what he called himself a “peace mission” that took him to kyiv, Moscow and Beijing when the rotating presidency of the EU Council began and that unnerved the rest of the European partners.
Trump’s victory came the day before Orbán received the rest of the EU leaders in Budapest on the occasion of the European Political Community and the informal European Council. Among them is invited Zelensky, who is the one who most fears the loss of support for Ukraine by the new tenant of the White House.
“The greatest comeback in American political history! Congratulations to President Trump on his huge victory. A much-needed victory for the world!”, Orbán celebrated in X, who assured that he would open a bottle of champagne if the Republican won the elections. This Thursday he will have the opportunity to do so at a dinner in which he will be the host of the rest of the EU leaders and in which it is planned, precisely, that they will analyze the relationship with the US after the elections.
The leader of the Spanish extreme right, Santiago Abascal, has echoed that same sentiment. “It is the time of the patriots. “It is time for freedom,” he expressed in a message accompanied by a photo with Trump. Less energetic has been her French ally, Marine Le Pen, who has pointed out, of course, that the Americans have chosen “freely”: “This new political era that is opening must contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations and the search for dialogue and constructive cooperation on the international scene.
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