Europe Reacts to
Trump
'The
World Is Crumbling in Front of Our Eyes'
Most
in Europe were expecting to wake up to President-elect Hillary
Clinton. But now that Trump has won, many political leaders in
Germany and the EU are in no mood to celebrate -- with some
exceptions.
November 09, 2016
12:12 PM
As is often the case
with earth-shaking events, it was the financial markets that reacted
first. The DAX, Germany's blue-chip stock index, quickly plunged upon
opening on Wednesday morning in response to the news that Donald
Trump had won the US presidential elections. But despite expectations
by some financial experts that the index would drop by up to 4
percent against Tuesday, the DAX quickly stabilized after opening
down just over 1 percent.
"I actually
don't expect significantly negative effects for the German economy,"
Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic
Research, told German press agency DPA.
Among European
politicians, though, initial reactions were significantly darker.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told German public
broadcaster ARD on Wednesday morning that Trump's victory was a "deep
shock." She added: "I think Donald Trump also knows that
this election was not for him but was against Washington, against the
establishment."
In terms of what the
election might mean for Germany, von der Leyen said: "Europe has
to prepare for the fact that it must provide for itself,"
including a larger defense budget. She believes that the US will
demand greater German engagement in NATO.
German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke about what the election
might mean for Germany. "We hope that we are not facing greater
instability in international politics. During his campaign, Trump was
critical not just of Europe, but also of Germany. I believe we must
prepare for American foreign policy becoming less predictable. We
must prepare for a situation in which America will be tempted to make
decisions on its own more often."
"I don't want
to sugarcoat it: Nothing will be easier and much will be more
difficult," he continued. "Just as we Germans learned a lot
in the past from our American friends, we should now encourage our
American friends to stay true to past partnerships and to us."
'It Will Only Get
Crazier'
Sigmar Gabriel, head
of Germany's Social Democrats and Merkel's vice chancellor, was more
terse, saying: "Trump is a warning to us as well. He is the
harbinger of a new authoritarian and chauvinistic international
movement."
German Justice
Minister Heiko Maas, of the center-left Social Democrats, took to
Twitter, writing: "The world won't end. It will only get
crazier."
Cem Özdemir,
co-leader of the German Green Party, said: "This is a break with
the tradition that the West stands for liberal values."
Reactions elsewhere
in Europe were no more optimistic. Former Italian Prime Minister
Enrico Letta said on Twitter that Trump's victory was "the most
significant political development since the fall of the Berlin Wall
and a wake-up call for Europe." Gérard Araud, French Ambassador
to the US, tweeted: "This is the end of an epoch. After Brexit
and this vote anything is possible. The world is crumbling in front
of our eyes." He later deleted the tweet.
In Brussels,
President of European Martin Schulz said: "I'm not happy about
it
. But on the other hand, I also believe that the political system
in the US is strong enough to be able to deal with a president like
Trump."
European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald
Tusk, for their part, wrote a joint letter to Trump in which they
invoked the "strategic partnership" between the EU and the
US, saying it was "more important than ever before" to
strengthen transatlantic relations.
Manfred Weber, floor
leader for the center-right European People's Party, also had foreign
policy on his mind: "We have to be more self-confident and
stronger and take on more responsibility," he said. "We
don't know what to expect from the US going forward. ... We cannot
leave the playing field to radicals the world over."
Most heads of
government across Europe chose to wait with their initial reactions,
with some unsurprising exceptions. Those who welcomed Trump's victory
were quick to congratulate him. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor
Orbán, for example, said that the Republican's election to the
presidency is "fantastic news" showing that "democracy
is still alive." Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly sent
Trump a congratulatory message.
Other populists in
Europe were likewise giddy at the prospect of Trump entering the
White House. Marine Le Pen, head of Front National in France, quickly
congratulated Trump and "the free American people" on
Twitter. She was quickly followed by her deputy Florian Philippot,
who tweeted: "Their world is crumbling, ours is building."
Heinz-Christian
Strache, head of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria,
congratulated Trump on Facebook and wrote: "The political left
and aloof, corrupt establishment is being punished by voters
step-by-step."
With many in Europe
having stayed awake through the night to watch the returns, there
were few on Wednesday morning who seemed in much of a mood to argue.
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