The world will face a starkly different US when president-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office in January.
While the businessman’s triumph was welcomed in some countries, others saw it as a big shock, as governments will now have to deal with a man who has cozied up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told NATO allies they would have to pay for their own protection and vowed to make the Mexican government pay for a multibillion-dollar border wall.
Leaders were not sure what to expect after a US campaign in which Trump upended foreign policy orthodoxy on numerous fronts.
Photo: EPA
Trump’s win was particularly startling in Mexico, where his remarks calling Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists” were a deep insult to national pride. Financial analysts have predicted a Trump win would threaten billions of dollars in cross-border trade, and government officials say they have drawn up a contingency plan for such a scenario, although without releasing details.
“It’s DEFCON 2,” Mexican analyst Alejandro Hope said. “Probably something as close to a national emergency as Mexico has faced in many decades.”
The impact of his unexpected electoral triumph is also being felt strongly in the Middle East, where multiple crises are unfolding.
Iran’s foreign minister said the US must respect the commitments it made as part of last year’s historic nuclear deal. Trump had criticized the accord during the campaign and said he would try to renegotiate it.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump and called him a “true friend of the State of Israel.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Trump, saying he is looking forward to continued support in his country’s fight against the Islamic State group.
In Europe, NATO allies will now wait to see if Trump follows through on suggestions that the US will look at whether they have paid their proper share in considering whether to come to their defense.
Trump’s rhetoric has challenged the strategic underpinning of the alliance, rattling its leaders at a time when Russia has been increasingly aggressive.
German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen called the vote “a big shock” and “a vote against Washington, against the establishment.”
Trump’s victory pleased leaders of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party, who said it would have a ripple effect and help change the balance of power in Germany and the rest of Europe. The party has campaigned strongly against German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policy of letting hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault said European politicians should heed the message from Trump votes.
“There is a part of our electorate that feels ... abandoned,” including people who feel “left behind by globalization,” he said.
Trump’s victory is being viewed with shock and revulsion in Ireland. The Irish Times branded the businessman a “misogynistic racist liar.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement saying she looks forward to working with Trump. Many other European leaders did the same.
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