European leaders on Wednesday emphasized their close ties with the United States and posted messages of early congratulations after it became clear that Donald Trump would be elected US president.
European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen “warmly congratulated” Trump on his victory, nearly two hours before CNN predicted his victory.
European Council President Charles Michel also emphasized the “lasting alliance” and “historic ties” between the EU and the United States.
The leaders of France, Germany and Spain were among the European leaders who congratulated President Trump.
Italian President Giorgia Meloni, who leads the far-right government, said, “Italy and the United States are ‘sister’ countries, bound by an unshakeable alliance, common values, and historic friendship.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a Trump ally, called the victory “the greatest upset in American political history.”
Separately, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he looked forward to working with President Trump over the coming years and continuing the “special relationship” between the two countries.
The British Foreign Secretary, who described President Trump in a 2018 article as a “misogynist, neo-Nazi-sympathetic sociopath”, was more diplomatic in his congratulatory post on X Wednesday.
Both leaders congratulated President Trump, but French President Emmanuel Macron agreed with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to work toward a stronger Europe, given the “new circumstances” that would likely lead to Trump’s inauguration. I promised to cooperate.
“We will work towards a more united, stronger and more sovereign Europe in this new context. By working together with the United States and defending our interests and values.” President Macron said in a social media post on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary General and former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said President Trump’s leadership is “key to keeping our alliance strong.” “I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through force through NATO,” Rutte said in a congratulatory tweet sent by Trump before the US presidential election winner was declared. .
