The world’s media have reacted to Donald Trump’s historic victory in the US election, with newspapers from North America to Australia defaced with photos of the newly elected president.
While press deadlines meant that many newspapers were published shortly before Trump was declared the winner on Wednesday morning, today was a very different story.
Front pages around the world are proclaiming the Republican’s resounding victory over his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, with headlines such as ‘TRUMPED’, ‘Trump Towers’ and ‘Trump Triumphs’.
Many focused on his incredible comeback after his 2020 defeat and a misdemeanor charge, calling it a “historic” and “incredible” comeback.
The New York Post called him the “life of the party” for his success in winning over voters and forging what the paper called “a new Republican coalition.”
But some newspapers were far from festive in their reporting. The online version of the German newspaper Die Zeit had just one word as its headline for the main election story: ‘F***’.
GERMANY: The online version of Germany’s leading liberal newspaper Die Zeit had just one word headline for the main election story
AUSTRALIA: The Age invoked a famous scene from the horror film The Shining to break the news
ISRAEL: In its headline, The Jerusalem Post quoted Trump’s claim that he will ‘stop wars’ during his second term as president
US: The New York Post called him the “life of the party” for his success in winning over voters and forging what the paper called “a new Republican coalition”
ITALY: Corriere della Sera headline reads: ‘L’America di Trump’ or ‘Trump’s America’
INDIA: The Hindustan Times headlined ‘Trump Towers’, with a second story calling it ‘A Trump miracle’
FRANCE: Le Parisien describes Trump’s victory on its front page as ‘L’Incroyable come-back’
MEXICO: Milenio has a photo of Trump pointing on the front page, with the headline: ‘Todo el poder’ or ‘All might’
SPAIN: Spain’s largest newspaper El Pais focuses on Trump’s strengthened mandate from 2016, with the Republican party now holding a majority in both Houses and the Supreme Court
“Cheating doesn’t help, fear doesn’t help, and in the end all that’s left is helpless self-soothing,” lamented writer Nele Pollatschek as she opened her piece on “election night in front of the TV.”
Some newspapers have been a bit more tongue-in-cheek with their front page designs – including Australian newspaper The Age, which invoked a famous scene from The Shining to break the news.
“Here’s Donny!” reads the Melbourne newspaper headline, with Trump pictured peeking out, as Jack Nicholson’s character does in the cult horror film.
The Mexican daily Milenio and the largest Spanish newspaper El Pais both focus on Trump’s strengthened mandate from 2016, with the Republican party now having a majority in both houses and the Supreme Court.
‘Todo el poder’, or ‘all might’, were the headlines in the Spanish-language newspapers.
The papers also pointed out that Trump, perhaps unexpectedly, won the popular vote, something he failed to do when he ran against Hilary Clinton.
Italy’s Corriere della Sera made this point with the headline: “L’America di Trump” or “Trump’s America.”
The subtitle added that Trump had spoken on the phone last night with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
US: The San Francisco Chronicle has a photo of Harris on the front page with one word: ‘TRUMPED’
French newspaper Le Soir wonders what a Trump victory means for the world with the simple question ‘Et maintenant?’ or ‘What now?’
GERMANY: Tabloid Bild has a photo of Trump giving a thumbs up with the headline ‘Da Isser Wieder!’ or ‘There he is again!’
Amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post used the headline to reference Trump’s claim in his victory speech on Wednesday, in which he said, “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars.”
India’s Hindustan Times also reflected in its subtitles how the outcome “will have a huge impact on global affairs as two wars rage,” referring to the devastating conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The English-language newspaper had “Trump Towers” as its headline, with a second story calling his success in the race “a Trump miracle.”
The French newspaper Le Soir used the same image as many other newspapers: Trump pointed to the camera in front of a row of star-spangled banners.
But the headline was far removed from others. Instead, it asked what a Trump victory means for the world with the simple question “Et maintenant?” or ‘What now?’
JAPAN: The Japan Times headlined ‘Trump claims victory in US election’ and said in the sub-headline that this means ‘a new era of uncertainty lies ahead’
BRAZIL: O Estado de S. Paulo has as its top line: “Embalado por voto rural, Trump supera desempenho de 2020,” which means “Driven by rural votes, Trump is outperforming his 2020 performance.”
ITALY: La Repubblica’s front page used a photo of Trump taken in court during his criminal trial in Manhattan – with the headline ‘Sono tornato’, meaning ‘I’m back’
The front page of the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo had the top line: “Embalado por voto rural, Trump supera desempenho de 2020,” meaning “Driven by rural votes, Trump is outperforming his 2020 performance.”
It said Harris received fewer votes than expected in key states, pushing the results in Trump’s favor.
Trump is the first president in more than 130 years, and only the second in history, to win a non-consecutive second term.
The race initially appeared neck-and-neck when Americans went to the polls on Tuesday after a tense months-long build-up.
Democrats had counted on retaining the trio of states – Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – to give Harris the White House. Biden won them in 2020.
But ultimately, Harris did not improve on President Joe Biden’s performance against Trump four years ago.