Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election and will take office again in January 2025.

Trump was the first U.S. president ever to be indicted on charges, including attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which he failed to win re-election, and fought the election while facing four criminal trials. In July of this year, he was shot and wounded in the right ear during a speech, and in September he survived another attempt on his life to regain the White House for the first time in four years.

Trump’s return to the White House is likely to lead to a major shift in U.S. domestic and foreign policy. He will be the first president in U.S. history to be elected despite a guilty verdict in a criminal case. Trump made a speech to his supporters in the southern state of Florida early in the morning of January 6. He declared his victory, saying, “I am proud that the people of the United States have given me the extraordinary honor of being the 47th president of the United States,” and emphasized that “a true golden age of the United States is coming. He also said he would “save America and solve our border problems.” Trump’s campaign has been about putting his country first, and his extremism surpasses that of his first term. The Republican Party led by Mr. Trump also became the majority in both the upper and lower houses of Congress, creating a solid “triple red” structure. The presence of Elon Musk, who fought with him in the campaign, is also eerie. Radical changes are expected in energy, environment, trade (tariffs), security, and many other policies related to the auto industry.

On November 6th, leaders of U.S. giant IT companies congratulated former President Trump on securing his election to the U.S. presidency. Google CEO Pichai posted on X (formerly Twitter), “We salute your decisive victory. Google CEO Pichai posted on X (formerly Twitter), “We salute your decisive victory.
Apple CEO Cook commented, “We want to work with the administration to ensure that the U.S. continues to lead and drive innovation. Microsoft CEO Nadella said, “I look forward to working with the administration to drive innovation that will bring new growth and opportunity to the U.S. and the world. Amazon.com CEO Jassie also congratulated the winners after a hard-fought battle. Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), wrote on his company’s short-form posting app, Threads, “We have a great opportunity in front of us. We look forward to working together,” he wrote. Altman, CEO of Open AI, the US developer of the generative AI (artificial intelligence) “Chat GPT,” also praised Trump’s victory and stressed that “it is of utmost importance that the US maintains its lead in AI development. Businessman Elon Musk, who supported Trump’s comeback, was involved in the founding of Open AI, but left the company due to conflicts over management policies.

In Europe, heads of state expressed their congratulations one after another. However, before the vote, there was overwhelming support for Vice President Harris, who can be expected to cooperate internationally in supporting Ukraine and decarbonization, and countries are bracing themselves for the return of the “nightmare” (European media) of being swept away by the “America First” policy.
German Chancellor Scholz told reporters, “It is better for the U.S. and Europe to be together. We can accomplish more together than we can at odds with each other. Italian Prime Minister Meloni, who holds the presidency of this year’s Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations, expressed his hope that “I am convinced that the strategic relationship between Italy and the United States will be further strengthened. During his first term, Mr. Trump has frequently been at odds with Europe, including withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, an international framework to combat global warming. If he maintains a negative stance toward support for Ukraine after his reappointment, the burden on Europe will rise dramatically and he will find himself in a difficult position. In a poll of 9,300 citizens in seven European countries last month, 80% of respondents in Denmark and 70% in Germany and Sweden said they hoped Harris would win. Even in Italy, where he has the least support, Harris had 46%, almost twice as many as Trump (24%).
The United Kingdom, which has boasted of its “special relationship” with the United States, is also in doubt about its ability to play a coordinating role as a bridge between Europe and the United States, as the center-left Labor Party led by Prime Minister Starmer, which took power in the July general election, has backed Harris’s campaign. Trump’s camp vehemently opposed the move, saying that it was interference, and the dispute remained.

Germany’s IFO Economic Research Institute said that the German economy could lose 33 billion euros if former President Trump, who secured victory in the U.S. presidential election, introduces broad tariff measures. The U.S. is Germany’s largest export partner, accounting for 10% of its total exports, but the institute noted that the value of exports could drop by about 15%. Trump’s comments were based on his own reasons for protecting his country’s manufacturing industry. Trump plans to introduce additional tariffs of up to 20% across the board on imports to protect his country’s manufacturing industry. He has also expressed his intention to impose a 60% additional tariff on China, raising concerns about a renewed “trade war” between the U.S. and China.

The intensification of trade friction between the U.S. and China is unlikely to be avoided. However, China’s Xi Jinping administration is anticipating a development in which Trump’s “America First” policy will disrupt the alignment of the U.S. and its allies, creating cracks in the “encirclement network against China. On the evening of August 6, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press statement in response to a reporter’s question about the presidential election. On the social networking site Weibo, there was concern that Trump’s return to power could reignite a trade war. On the other hand, there were also a number of posts welcoming him with “congratulations” in anticipation of turmoil in the United States. Trump has taken a dismissive attitude toward North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) collective defense obligations. China is expected to view the U.S. regime change as an opportunity to drive a wedge in the U.S.-European alliance and move closer to Europe. The Xi administration has repeatedly stated that Taiwan will be a pawn in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship if Trump is elected, and is poised to shake up U.S.-Taiwan relations as well.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the move saying, “This is a historic comeback,” and expressed hope that it would strengthen relations between the two countries. With Trump, who is clearly pro-Israel, behind him, there is a possibility that the Netanyahu administration will lean even harder on the Palestinian Authority in the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.
Trump has insisted on “ending the fighting” in Gaza, and Middle East political expert Hartl Abdiab noted that “Trump will increase pressure on Netanyahu to end the war more quickly. However, unlike the Biden administration, which has partially halted ammunition supplies for humanitarian reasons, he foresaw the possibility that the Israeli strategy, including intensified attacks under the pretext of an early end, would be tolerated. Meanwhile, Hamas, an Islamic organization engaged in fighting in Gaza, stated that its attitude toward the incoming U.S. administration “depends on how it deals with the Palestinians. However, Mr. Trump is reluctant to pursue Middle East peace based on “two-state coexistence,” which would allow the establishment of a Palestinian state, because during his first term in office, he took a blatantly pro-Israel policy, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Iran is poised to take a more confrontational stance toward the U.S., although a government spokesman ostensibly maintained that “it doesn’t matter who it is. During his tenure in office, Mr. Trump has put “maximum pressure” on Iran, tightened sanctions, including withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and an embargo on Iranian oil, and killed a commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite military organization, in pursuit of a policy of hostility toward Iran. A reformist president was inaugurated in Iran in July, but Trump’s reappointment will inevitably lead to further tensions with the United States.

The transition of power will be in full swing in preparation for his inauguration next January, and we will continue to keep a close eye on the extent to which his radical policies will be put into practice.