Newspapers around the world framed The Democrats’ victory in the US midterm elections as a major setback for President Donald Trump. France’s Libération described it as a “blue wave,” while the UK’s Daily Mail called it a “blue tsunami.” India’s Times of India ran the headline “midterm blues for Trump.”
Coverage in Ukraine and Russia highlighted sharply different expectations. The Kyiv Independent presented the result as a potential boost for Ukraine, while Russia’s state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta warned that Trump’s anger could turn toward Europe. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Democratic Party’s approach to Russia remained highly negative, but indicated the results would not bring major changes to Russian foreign policy.
In the Middle East, the Tehran Times linked the Republicans’ defeat to Trump’s decision to attack Iran earlier this year. Its coverage pointed to the prolonged war, rising oil prices and cost-of-living pressures in the US. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, said on X that Americans had rejected war and warned against ignoring that message.
Israeli media focused on what the Democrats’ win could mean for US support for Israel and the war in Gaza. Coverage highlighted Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Senate race and his opposition to US funding for Israel. Israeli opposition figures Yair Golan and Yair Lapid also argued that the US results reflected negatively on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition lost its parliamentary majority in Israel’s October 27 election.
Other neighboring countries described the results as a rebuke to Trump. Canada’s Toronto Star called them a “rebuke,” while Mexico’s El Universal described them as a setback for the president.
Several foreign leaders commented on the outcome, while others treated the midterms as a domestic US matter. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said American voters had rejected policies he associated with impoverishment, hate and climate denial. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the vote could usher in a new era in international relations and expressed hope for closer bilateral ties.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius congratulated the Democrats on what he called a historic victory, while saying Germany would continue working with the US administration and reach out to both parties. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere described the result as a powerful signal of a change in direction among US voters. London Mayor Sadiq Khan also congratulated the Democrats, but there was no immediate comment from UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
China’s foreign ministry said the elections were an internal US matter and expressed willingness to keep communicating and cooperating with Washington. Japan’s government spokesman Minoru Kihara said the US alliance remained essential to global stability, regardless of the midterm result.
Sources: NPR Politics.