As much of the world comes to terms with news that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States, the property tycoon's shock victory has emboldened far-right and authoritarian leaders across the globe, from Israel to France
Israel's rightwing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on his election as US president on Wednesday and called him "a true friend of the state of Israel."
"President-elect Trump is a true friend of the state of Israel, and I look forward to working with him to advance security, stability and peace in our region," the right-wing premier said in a statement.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the hardline Jewish Home party, said after Trump's victory that the idea of a Palestinian state was over.
"Trump's victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the centre of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause," Bennett said in an apparent reference to the occupied West Bank.
"This is the position of the president-elect ... The era of a Palestinian state is over."
"Congratulations to the new president of the United States Donald Trump and to the free American people!" the French National Front's [FN] leader Marine le Pen tweeted early on Wednesday.
Le Pen, who is expected to win the first round of France's presidential elections next year, heads a party that has set up stall on an anti-immigration, anti-European Union platform.
Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the former FN leader who has been convicted of racism, anti-semitism and making anti-Muslim remarks at least six times, also took to Twitter to express his joy.
"Today the United States, tomorrow France," the elder Le Pen tweeted.
FN's deputy leader Florian Philippot joined the choir of congratulations with a jubilant declaration that "their world is crumbling. Ours is building".
| Twitter Post |
In Holland, anti-Muslim populist politician Geert Wilders described Trump's victory as a "revolution," hailing the win as a precursor to a potential triumph for his own Freedom Party in the Netherlands' March elections.
"We also will give our country back to the people of the Netherlands," he tweeted. Wilders, whose party is currently riding high in the opinion polls ahead of the spring ballot, also tweeted a twist on Trump's famous campaign slogan by using the hashtag #MakeTheNetherlandsGreatAgain.
Meanwhile, Viktor Orban, Hungary's hardline anti-immigrant leader, said that Trump's victory was a sign that "democracy is still alive" on his Facebook page.
Over in England, British rightwing politician and United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage could hardly contain his excitement, having himself campaigned across the pond for a Trump victory.
| Nigel Farage [R] campaigning alongside Donald Trump [R] in the US in August 2016 [Getty] |
Farage, who played a huge role in stirring anti-immigrant sentiment during the UK's Brexit referendum, also suggested that he could take a role in trump's government.
"If he did offer me a job I would quite like to be his ambassador to the European Union. I think I would do that job very well," he told the BBC's Andrew Neil on Wednesday.
Many are drawing parallels between the UK's decision to leave the EU and Trump's victory on Wednesday, with the majority of pollsters and analysts having been proven wrong on both occasions.
Following the Brexit vote, which was mired in anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobic rhetoric, Britain saw a spike in racist, Islamophobic and homophobic attacks.
With Trump - a man who has gained notoriety by promises of Muslim bans, deportations and huge border fences - now set to become president, many now fear for the future of minorities in the US.
Having emerged victorious, however, Trump on Wednesday appeard to cut a more conciliatory tone, promising to be a
"president for all Americans."
"It will be a movement comprised of people from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs," he continued, " [people] who want and expect our government to serve the people - and serve the people it will".
Alongside the global far-right, Wednesday's result was also a reason for rejoice for strongmen leaders who had taken a liking to strongman-in-waiting Donald Trump prior to his election.
Russia's president Vladimir Putin made an early call to the 70-year-old, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also made a call to the president-elect, having previously said that he had "no doubt" that he will be a strong leader.