After a tumultuous campaign marked by two assassination attempts, four indictments and a criminal conviction, the US presidential election delivered its verdict on Wednesday 6 November 2024. According to the American media, Donald Trump won the election, becoming the 47th president of the United States. He is making a return to the White House after his first term between 2017 and 2021.

At 78 years of age, the Republican has taken up his challenge by outpacing Democrat Kamala Harris by a wide margin. With his victory in Wisconsin, Trump passed the threshold of 270 electoral votes, thus ensuring his victory over his opponent. In addition to Wisconsin, the former businessman also triumphed in several key “swing states,” such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, taking revenge four years after his defeat by Joe Biden.

He did not even have to wait for the final results to celebrate his victory in front of thousands of supporters. Alongside his family, his wife Melania, his vice-president JD Vance and the speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, he declared during a speech at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, that this moment “will help the country heal.” Stressing the urgency of supporting the US, he promised to strengthen the borders and “fix everything that’s wrong” with the country. Trump called the win “the most incredible political thing ever” and pledged to work for Americans every day, heralding the arrival of a “golden age of America.” He concluded: “Today, we are making history. We are going to make our country great again.”

Numerous reactions around the world

The future president received congratulations from many international leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, who said he was “ready to work” with him despite their differences. The French president also made it clear that he would work with German chancellor Olaf Scholz to make Europe more united, stronger and more sovereign in this new context. The [resident of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also congratulated him, pointing out that “the United States and Europe are much more than just allies” and expressing her wish to “continue to work together on a solid transatlantic agenda that is beneficial to both parties.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to react, expressing the hope that the new American president would help him to achieve a “just peace” with Russia. During his speech, Trump said that he wanted to “end the wars,” but did not specify his intentions regarding US military aid to Ukraine.

On the Luxembourg side, prime minister Luc Frieden (CSV) shared the position of the president of the European Commission and said he wanted to “build on the strong transatlantic partnership, in line with Luxembourg’s principles and interests.” Foreign minister Xavier Bettel (DP) said: “We know that ‘America first’ does not mean ‘America alone.’ Let’s work together.”

However, not everyone was enthusiastic about the victory. Marc Angel (LSAP), for example, believes that “Trump’s election is a wake-up call for the EU. We must take our fate into our own hands, now more than ever.” For her part, ombudswoman Claudia Monti goes even further: “It feels like a hangover... but I didn’t have any alcohol last night…”

This article was originally published in French.