It happened faster than expected, and the result is more decisive than anticipated: Donald Trump will be US President once again. For the US election, we are sending you a special report – including coverage from Washington, initial reactions and key results in graphics.
In Washington, D.C., there’s an atmosphere of defeat among Democrats, while Republicans are celebrating in Palm Beach. At 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time (8:30 a.m. German time), Donald Trump addressed his supporters in his home state of Florida. Surrounded by family and supporters, Trump declared victory after CNN called the critical swing state of Pennsylvania in his favor. His long-time ally, Fox News, had already announced him as the victor.
Trump thanked his supporters, using superlatives reminiscent of his campaign. “Our country has never seen a political victory like this before,” said Trump. He described the comeback of the MAGA movement as “the greatest political movement of all time”. Trump reiterated some of his key promises, including the deportation of illegal immigrants, radical border security and strengthening the US economy. He vowed a “golden age” for America and gave special thanks to his running mate J.D. Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk, whom he called a “super-genius” to be protected. Trump did not clarify what he meant by that.
Unlike the increasingly aggressive tone of his campaign speeches, Trump struck a more conciliatory note, saying, “It’s time to unite the country“. He specifically thanked minority groups, including Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans, for their support, promising to be a president who would end wars. “God spared my life for a reason – and that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness,” he said, referring to the assassination attempt against him during the election campaign.
The scene was dramatically different among the Democrats. Before midnight Eastern Time, when CNN first projected the battleground state of North Carolina and later the swing state of Georgia for Trump, many of Vice President Kamala Harris’s supporters left her election event at Howard University in Washington, D.C., disappointed. Harris had a spokesperson announce that she would not comment on the election outcome that night but would address her supporters and the nation the following morning.
In a morning discussion at NRW’s State Representation, Table.Briefings editors Michael Bröcker and Helene Bubrowski, alongside political and business guests, participated in a joint event with the German Marshall Fund. NRW’s Minister for European Affairs, Nathanael Liminski, criticized the Chancellor for his pro-Harris comments before the election. “This cheerleading for Kamala Harris and dismissive rhetoric about Trump will come back to haunt us,” said the CDU politician. He stressed the need to quickly establish communication channels with the Trump administration “without pandering”.
Michael Link, the German government’s Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation, pushed back against claims that the coalition government had not prepared for another Trump presidency. He explained that every government department had established task forces to assess the implications beforehand. “Personally, I have spent the last two years reaching out extensively to Republicans,” said the FDP politician, although he noted that some, including likely Vice President J.D. Vance, were not receptive to dialogue with the German government. Nonetheless, Link pointed to strong connections within Trump’s network.
German businesses are watching Trump’s agenda with concern. His protectionist approach could be “disastrous for the global economy”, according to Volker Ratzmann of DHL Group. Ratzmann emphasized the importance of strengthening Europe as a competitive economic region. “We need to position our competitiveness so that the US views us as a strong partner,” said Daniel Andrich, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. “We’re simply going to have to grow bigger ourselves,” echoed Tanja Gönner, Chief Executive of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Moritz Schularick, President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, voiced sharp criticism of German policy. “Maybe it’s time to take away the sleeping pills from the Chancellor’s office,” said the economist. “We are entirely vulnerable to trade pressure.” Germany’s failure to invest 2 percent of GDP in defense could now have severe consequences. Schularick also described Trump’s agenda as a “suicidal mission”. With regard to Trump’s planned immigration policies, he predicted a “shock” to the American economy. “These are real deportation plans,” Schularick warned.
Link was noncommittal about whether the election result might influence the FDP’s decision on staying in the coalition. “The election of Donald Trump clearly heightens the pressure to complete economic policy tasks.” CDU defense policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter called on the FDP to leave the coalition: “If the FDP doesn’t have the courage to exit, we’re facing a deadlock. And that’s something we simply can’t afford.”
It happened faster than expected, and the result is more decisive than anticipated: Donald Trump will be US President once again. For the US election, we are sending you a special report – including coverage from Washington, initial reactions and key results in graphics.
In Washington, D.C., there’s an atmosphere of defeat among Democrats, while Republicans are celebrating in Palm Beach. At 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time (8:30 a.m. German time), Donald Trump addressed his supporters in his home state of Florida. Surrounded by family and supporters, Trump declared victory after CNN called the critical swing state of Pennsylvania in his favor. His long-time ally, Fox News, had already announced him as the victor.
Trump thanked his supporters, using superlatives reminiscent of his campaign. “Our country has never seen a political victory like this before,” said Trump. He described the comeback of the MAGA movement as “the greatest political movement of all time”. Trump reiterated some of his key promises, including the deportation of illegal immigrants, radical border security and strengthening the US economy. He vowed a “golden age” for America and gave special thanks to his running mate J.D. Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk, whom he called a “super-genius” to be protected. Trump did not clarify what he meant by that.
Unlike the increasingly aggressive tone of his campaign speeches, Trump struck a more conciliatory note, saying, “It’s time to unite the country“. He specifically thanked minority groups, including Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans, for their support, promising to be a president who would end wars. “God spared my life for a reason – and that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness,” he said, referring to the assassination attempt against him during the election campaign.
The scene was dramatically different among the Democrats. Before midnight Eastern Time, when CNN first projected the battleground state of North Carolina and later the swing state of Georgia for Trump, many of Vice President Kamala Harris’s supporters left her election event at Howard University in Washington, D.C., disappointed. Harris had a spokesperson announce that she would not comment on the election outcome that night but would address her supporters and the nation the following morning.
In a morning discussion at NRW’s State Representation, Table.Briefings editors Michael Bröcker and Helene Bubrowski, alongside political and business guests, participated in a joint event with the German Marshall Fund. NRW’s Minister for European Affairs, Nathanael Liminski, criticized the Chancellor for his pro-Harris comments before the election. “This cheerleading for Kamala Harris and dismissive rhetoric about Trump will come back to haunt us,” said the CDU politician. He stressed the need to quickly establish communication channels with the Trump administration “without pandering”.
Michael Link, the German government’s Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation, pushed back against claims that the coalition government had not prepared for another Trump presidency. He explained that every government department had established task forces to assess the implications beforehand. “Personally, I have spent the last two years reaching out extensively to Republicans,” said the FDP politician, although he noted that some, including likely Vice President J.D. Vance, were not receptive to dialogue with the German government. Nonetheless, Link pointed to strong connections within Trump’s network.
German businesses are watching Trump’s agenda with concern. His protectionist approach could be “disastrous for the global economy”, according to Volker Ratzmann of DHL Group. Ratzmann emphasized the importance of strengthening Europe as a competitive economic region. “We need to position our competitiveness so that the US views us as a strong partner,” said Daniel Andrich, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. “We’re simply going to have to grow bigger ourselves,” echoed Tanja Gönner, Chief Executive of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Moritz Schularick, President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, voiced sharp criticism of German policy. “Maybe it’s time to take away the sleeping pills from the Chancellor’s office,” said the economist. “We are entirely vulnerable to trade pressure.” Germany’s failure to invest 2 percent of GDP in defense could now have severe consequences. Schularick also described Trump’s agenda as a “suicidal mission”. With regard to Trump’s planned immigration policies, he predicted a “shock” to the American economy. “These are real deportation plans,” Schularick warned.
Link was noncommittal about whether the election result might influence the FDP’s decision on staying in the coalition. “The election of Donald Trump clearly heightens the pressure to complete economic policy tasks.” CDU defense policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter called on the FDP to leave the coalition: “If the FDP doesn’t have the courage to exit, we’re facing a deadlock. And that’s something we simply can’t afford.”
