Foreign leaders react as Donald Trump claims victory in the 2024 US election

Former President Donald Trump appears poised to reclaim his role as commander in chief of the world's most powerful military and largest economy — and he's wasting no time doing so achieve victory on Tuesday US presidential election – Leaders around the world began reacting Wednesday to the prospect of the businessman-turned-politician's second term in the White House.

From enthusiasm from the Israeli leader fighting a widening war on multiple fronts to concern from some of America's closest, generations-old European allies, the reaction to Trump's election results began in some key battleground countries long before the final votes were counted in the USA

Below is an overview of how some foreign leaders and others around the world have received the news of the American electorate's apparent rebuke of Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party in the election.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on Wednesday, calling his election performance “the greatest comeback in history!”

“Your historic return to the White House represents a new beginning for America and a strong commitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” Netanyahu said. “This is a huge victory!”

Despite Trump's criticism of the Israeli leader's handling of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, Netanyahu was widely believed to favor the former US leader in the US election as tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv rose sharply last year due to have Israel's tactics in his Multi-front war with Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East.

The war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, in which the militants killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others, has now affected more than 43,000 people in Palestinian territory, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health killed. Israel has also significantly stepped up its attack on Hezbollah, Hamas's Iranian-backed ally in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the Israeli offensive there has killed more than 3,000 people.

The Biden administration continues to push in vain for ceasefires on both fronts and for Israel to do more to mitigate the wars' devastating impact on civilians.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose role is largely symbolic, also congratulated Trump about his “historic return to the White House.”

“You are a true and dear friend of Israel and a champion of peace and cooperation in our region,” Herzog said. “I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ironclad bond between our peoples, build a future of peace and security for the Middle East, and uphold our shared values. On behalf of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and all our people, I wish you every success.”

Hungary's Viktor Orbán

One of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Trump on Wednesday was one of the few to do so openly supported him Long before the final votes were cast in the United States, Hungary's far-right President Viktor Orbán was convicted, accused during his decades-long leadership of the Eastern European country of undermining its democratic institutions by giving himself more power and that of the country's courts and tribunals The country's restricted civil society institutions called Trump's apparent success “a much-needed victory for the world!”

In a message posted on social media, Orbán said Trump had achieved “the greatest comeback in US political history” and congratulated him on his “tremendous victory.”

Orban has emerged as an outsider among European Union leaders by advocating anti-immigrant policies while maintaining close ties with President Vladimir Putin Russia's ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine – all while touting his close ties to Trump.

In a speech over the summer, Orbán suggested that he had even helped shape Trump's future statecraft, claiming that he had “penetrated” and “been deeply involved in the policy-making system of President Donald Trump's team.”

EU leader Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union bloc's governing body, the European Commission, congratulated Trump on Wednesday and expressed hope in a short social media post that the US and EU could “work together on a strong transatlantic agenda, which continues to bring success.” ” for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.

“I warmly congratulate Donald J. Trump. The EU and the US are more than just allies,” said von der Leyen. “We are united by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. So let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that continues to deliver benefits for them.”