World leaders who sparred with Trump express mix of relief, caution at GOP election rout

Foreign leaders who have clashed with President Donald Trump responded to Republican losses in the U.S. midterm elections with cautious relief, though many doubted that American policy toward Iran, tariffs, Ukraine or Europe would shift soon. Democrats won both the House and the Senate, according to PBS NewsHour, and Trump remains in office for two more years.

Progressive figures framed the outcome as part of a broader swing away from right-wing populists. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who faces voters on Nov. 29, predicted the same fate at home. Norway's foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said Americans wanted an end to polarization. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham tied the Iran war to fuel costs and said resolving it, along with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, must come first. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was doing cartwheels, while Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged waiting. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voiced a wish that Trump keep pursuing peace.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said Europe's security cannot hinge on how Americans vote. Laurel Rapp of Chatham House expects little change in Washington's transactional stance toward Europe, since Congress has limited power over foreign policy.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →