Washington, November 9 (RHC)-- The victory of billionaire Donald J. Trump in the U.S. presidential election is prompting responses from politicians worldwide, ranging from messages of congratulations to tacit expressions of discomfort. 

Trump won more than 270 electoral votes in the 2016 presidential election on Wednesday, enough to make him the 45th president of the United States even as vote counting continued in a number of states.  His rise to the presidency wildly contrasted most forecasts within the United States, which had projected a strong win by his rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. 

Reaction around the world was swift and direct.  In Tel Aviv, an Israeli minister said that his country should take the advantage of Donald Trump’s presidency and put an end to the idea of an independent Palestinian state.  Education Minister Naftali Bennett was the first to weigh in from Tel Aviv, saying: “Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state.”  

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic would make no changes to its policies in the wake of Trump’s win.  Speaking during a visit to Romania on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic expected the U.S. president-elect to honor a nuclear deal negotiated with Iran under the outgoing Obama administration. 

“Since Iran and the U.S. have no political relations, what is important is that America’s next president is bound by the multilateral commitments" of the nuclear deal.  “We are certain the international community would expect the same thing from the United States of America.” 

The agreement was struck between Iran on the one side and the US, France, China, Britain, Russia, and Germany on the other in June 2015.  Trump has previously slammed the deal, threatening that he would renegotiate its terms. 

Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his country respected the outcome of the U.S. presidential election even though it was not favored by most Germans.  “The result is not to be underestimated.  The result is different from what most people in Germany desired.  But of course, we have to accept it,” Steinmeier said. 
 
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen also described Trump’s victory as a “huge shock,” saying the election result was “not a vote for him but rather against Washington, against the establishment.” 

Reacting to news of Trump’s win earlier in the day, a senior member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party described the American president-elect as “the voice of anger.” 

“We’re realizing now that we have no idea what this American president will do if the voice of anger enters office and the voice of anger becomes the most powerful man in the world,” said Norbert Roettgen, who is a member of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the head of the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee. 

French President Francois Hollande said Trump’s victory showed that France must be stronger and that Europe must be united.  Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault of France also said Trump’s personality traits “raised concern.” 

Ayrault said Trump had to clarify his position on key foreign policy issues, including the nuclear deal with Iran, the long-running conflict in Syria, and climate change.