Following a decisive win from Donald Trump, one of the first to congratulate the president-elect on his victory was French President Emmanuel Macron, but since then, other EU leaders have offered their congratulations as well. No doubt, there are fears within Brussels and for many of Europe’s rulers that their free rein to attack democracy and free speech are under serious threat from a Trump presidency. Some of the most ardent Trump opponents have, at the time of publication, remained silent on his victory.
“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump. 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 wrote.
France’s Prime Minister, Michael Barnier, has been silent.
The leader of Ukraine was also fast to offer his congrats. With Ukraine heavily reliant on a war many believe the U.S. blatantly pushed for — and heavily financed — it’s no surprise Zelensky is looking for good relations with the new American leader. He already met with Trump this fall, although there were reports that the meeting almost never happened due to tension between the two camps. Trump has promised to quickly end the war.
As Remix News has extensively reported, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been one of the biggest backers of Trump. Orbán has taken to X to write: “The biggest comeback in US political history…A much needed victory for the world.”
U.K. leader Keir Starmer even held out a peace offering, claiming to “stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.” Notably, he is accused of sending party operatives to fight for Kamala Harris in swing states in what may have been an illegal action. He also called for Elon Musk to be silenced along with his platform, X.
Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz was a bit late to the party, but he has also now congratulated Trump.
So far, there is nothing from Irish president, Michael Higgins, nor anything from Slovenia.
Poland’s PM, Donald Tusk, who has been notoriously against Hungary, was very late to the party but finally cam through.
Polish President Duda had already given a warm welcome.
Former Russian president and deputy chair of the country’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, had a more cryptic message — for Harris and regarding the war.
Trump has made clear that peace will be achieved and has been outspoken on his admiration for Hungarian PM Orbán for seeking an end to the war.
There has also been nothing from Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, but new federal chancellor, Karl Nehammer, has chimed in to congratulate Trump.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also welcomed Trump’s victory.
Although he had openly endorsed Kamala Harris, Norway’s leader took to mending fences. Many liberals and leftists may not like Trump in the EU, but there is likely to be a scramble across the capitals of Europe on how to respond to a Trump presidency, especially when the U.S. holds incredible leverage over Europe, including with energy supplies.
Here is also a collection of posts from other leaders on X, including from Spain, Belgium, Estonia, and the Netherlands, in that order, including from Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini also offered his congratulations.
The final post, from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, may illustrate just how difficult peace will be to achieve in Ukraine, as he notes the special military operation will continue until Russia reaches all its goals.
