President Trump’s inauguration sparked an array of reactions from the six other democratic economies of the G7, with some issuing quick congratulations and others taking a more measured, or even muted, tone.
Japan and the United Kingdom were quick to hail Trump’s inauguration. “Look forward to continuing strong UK – US bond,” Boris Johnson, the top U.K. diplomat, tweeted.
Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump @POTUS on his presidential inauguration day. Look forward to continuing strong UK – US bond
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 20, 2017
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was more fulsome. “I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to you on the occasion of your inauguration as the President of the United States of America,” he said. “In the 21st Century, while the Asia-Pacific region is the source of the global economic growth, the security environment of the region is becoming severer. The Japan-U.S. Alliance, bound in universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, is playing even greater role. The Japan-U.S. Alliance is the linchpin of Japan’s foreign and security policies. I would like to further strengthen the unwavering tie between Japan and the United States based on the relationship of trust between us the two leaders.”
Canadian President Justin Trudeau, who has criticized Trump implicitly and was a ready partner for outgoing President Obama, stated his desire to “restore prosperity to the middle class on both sides of the border” — a sign of his pivot to accommodate Trump’s populist economic platform while working to maintain Canada’s interests.
Italy also tweeted its congratulations. Angelino Alfano, Italy’s foreign affairs minister, said he has “confidence in the new president.”
Congratulazioni a @realDonaldTrump! L’Italia ha fiducia nel nuovo Presidente e nel grande rapporto di amicizia con gli #USA. #Inauguration
— Angelino Alfano (@angealfa) January 20, 2017
Germany and France seemed slowest to respond to the formal inauguration. Hours after Trump was sworn in, the French ministry of foreign affairs had tweeted a statement congratulating the president of Gambia for his inauguration as well as a pledge to “stand by Iraq in the fight against” the Islamic State, but nothing directly addressed to Trump. The French embassy to the United States tweeted a happy birthday message to an “American-French journalist carrying on a family legacy of advocacy for our oceans.” (The French embassy to the United States hosted an inauguration party Wednesday night, however.)
The German Foreign Office and Peter Wittig, the German ambassador to the United States, were similarly silent about Trump on social media. Wittig did respond to Trump’s criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and NATO earlier in the week, however.
“Our transatlantic alliance is not merely something to admire in history books, however,” Wittig wrote in a Jan. 17 op-ed in the Huffington Post. “It needs to stay robust and resilient in the future as well. In an interview with several European newspapers the president-elect has elaborated on his positions.”
