Donald Trump has been congratulated by world leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu, Volodymyr Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer, as the Republican candidate is set to become the 47th president of the United States.
Trump claimed victory in the battle after Fox News predicted he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, marking a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.
High-profile allies of the Republican candidate — as well as top figures who have a history of clashing with the former president — have hailed the outcome as a decisive victory for Trump, even as most news outlets have still not officially called the race.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called it “the greatest comeback in American political history” in a triumphant post on X.
The far-right politician – who is widely seen as soft on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin – congratulated Trump on a “huge victory” and labeled his success as “a much-needed victory for the world.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky also shared his congratulations and said on X that Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ approach could bring a ‘just peace’ closer in the war against Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he “stands ready to work together as we have done for four years.” With your beliefs and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed Trump as the “president-elect” and wrote on social media that he looked forward to working with him in the years to come, adding: “I know that the special relationship on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean will continue to flourish for years to come.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shared a very personal message, writing on X: “Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on the greatest comeback in history!”
“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a strong renewed commitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!’
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele shared a photo of himself shaking hands with Trump
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his “warmest congratulations” to his “friend” and said he looked forward to working together “for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.”
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, one of the first to express his congratulations before the results were announced by most media, shared a photo of himself shaking hands with Trump at X.
“Congratulations to the President-elect of the United States of America, may God bless and guide you,” he wrote.
Far-right ministers in the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections on Wednesday.
“Yesssss, God bless Trump,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X.
Bezalel Smitrich said, “God bless Israel, God bless America.”
Another member of the government, Culture Minister Miki Zohar, said: “We are looking forward to the next four years.”
Dutch politician Geert Wilders also shared his congratulations to both Trump and America, writing on X: ‘Never stop, always keep fighting and win elections!’
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said a Donald Trump victory in the US election would likely be bad news for Ukraine, but said it was unclear to what extent Trump could cut US funding for the war.
“Trump has one useful quality for us: as a businessman at heart, he absolutely does not like to spend money on all kinds of hangers-on and stupid hangers-on, on bad charity projects and on greedy international organizations,” said Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official . official, posted on his official Telegram account.
He said Ukrainian authorities fell into the category of people Trump would likely not want to spend too much money on, and suggested Ukrainian leaders would do anything to console themselves if it were confirmed he had won.
‘The question is how much Trump will have to give to the war. He is stubborn, but the system is stronger,” Medvedev said.
However, most governments and world leaders have so far been cautious about declaring a victory for Trump in the race.
Chinese officials said this morning simply that the country hopes for “peaceful coexistence” with the US under a new president.
“We will continue to approach and maintain China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing.