Even yesterday, the experts of the political TV program Tagesschau convinced its viewers that Hillary Clinton;s victory is "virtually guaranteed". And when a few weeks ago, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has publicly spoken out against Donald Trump, calling him a "preacher of hate", only few people seriously believe that he is going to be the future US president. Perhaps, opinion polls were wrong, or the so-called `Shy Trump Voter` effect was underestimated - according to sociologists, this is a phenomenon when respondents hide their political sympathies for the Republican candidate. But many European politicians have acted contrary to the old proverb `don’t cross the bridge till you come to it`.
"My foreign policy outlook (and I very much hope that I am mistaken in it): Aleppo is lost. Ukraine is next. No one can stop him," an Alliance `90/The Greens politician Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, who is known for her critical attitude to President Putin, wrote on her social media page. The foreign editor of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Klaus Dieter Frankenberger, said: "One thing is clear: the Western system was dealt a heavy blow, the second in a row after Brexit. It means that America`s friends should assess the new situation and buckle up stronger."
The CDU deputy in the Bundestag, the chairman of the transatlantic organization Atlantik-Brücke (`Atlantic Bridge`), Friedrich Merz, said in an interview with DLF that Trump himself is not a reason for "dysfunction of the US political system." The new US president is a consequence of increasing radicalization and indoctrination of both political parties in the United States. According to him, Washington will pay less attention to European interests, while taking political decisions in the future.
The chief ideologist of the Left Party, Gregor Gysi, is also concerned about the US elections results. He suggested that now "there is a new wave" in the US, which will reach Europe and will give impetus to the right-wing populism at the continent, particularly in Germany. At the same time, Gysi noted that we should not underestimate the power of the state apparatus, which can slow down Trump in one or other issue.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier acknowledged that the outcome of the US presidential election is "different than most people in Germany would have wanted, but of course we have to respect it."
"If Donald Trump really wants to be president of all Americans, then I think his first duty is to fill in the deep rifts which arose during the campaign," he added.
"But the challenge of dealing with meeting the high expectations that Trump himself will be even greater. It will not be easy to make America great again, also as regards to the economy, or to create new jobs in this situation and in the current economic environment," the Express cited him as saying.
"I don`t want to pretend it will be easy. Nothing will be easier. Much will be harder. But I am highly aware that the functioning transatlantic relations are something like the foundation of the West. That is why we cannot relinquish this foundation."
"In the course of the election campaign Donald Trump has found critical words about Europe and Germany. We must adjust to the fact that American foreign policy will get less predictable in the near future," he added.
FM #Steinmeier on #USElection2016: "I hope that we won't face larger rifts in international politics." Watch statement (English subtitle): pic.twitter.com/IBTFjT548l
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) 9 November 2016
