The White House is illuminated on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
hide caption
Alex Brandon/AP
One color dominated international headlines on Wednesday regarding the results of the United States midterm elections. The French newspaper Libération called the Democrats’ victory a “blue wave”, Britain’s Daily Mail called it a “historic blue tsunami” and the Times of India headlined “Mid-term blues for Trump”.
Countries at war were also closely monitoring the situation, with Ukrainian newspaper The Kyiv Independent headlined online: “Democrats take control of Congress, blow to Trump, potential boost for Ukraine.”
Russia had a different vision. Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official daily, suggested that the results would actually be a blow to Ukraine, which enjoys strong support from the EU. “Brussels, prepare yourself. After the defeat of the Republicans, Trump’s anger will fall on Europe,” headlined the newspaper.
In the Middle East, the Tehran Times attributes the Republicans’ resounding defeat to President Trump’s decision to attack Iran earlier this year.
“War in Iran returns to hit Trump at the ballot box,” reads the headline. The war, which Trump promised would end quickly, drags on, sending oil prices skyrocketing and affecting the daily lives of many Americans due to the affordability crisis.
And in Israel, which just held its own seismic election last week, headlines have focused on what the Democrats’ victory means for American support for the Jewish state and its war in Gaza.
The Times of Israel published a headline focusing on Democratic and Muslim candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s triumph in Michigan’s Senate race, claiming that “Anti-Israel El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Race, Pledges No Money for ‘Apartheid and Genocide.’
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at an election night event, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Detroit.
Julia Démarée Nikhinson/AP
hide caption
Julia Démarée Nikhinson/AP
The Toronto Star, from Canada’s northern neighbor of the United States, which is in the middle of a contentious trade war with the United States, called the results a “rebuke” to Trump. Across the southern border in Mexico, the headline in the El Universal newspaper was similar, saying simply: “Retreat for Trump.”
Some foreign politicians party, others keep quiet
Many foreign leaders have been reluctant to comment directly on the results, because unlike a U.S. presidential election where they politely congratulate the winner, they view the midterm elections as a domestic U.S. issue.
However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has an acrimonious relationship with Trump, has been outspoken about X.
“Yesterday, American society voted against policies that only impoverish. Against hatred. Against machismo. Against climate denial and against elite privileges,” Sanchez said.
In South Africa, where diplomatic relations with the United States have been at an all-time low since Trump falsely accused the government of persecuting its white minority, President Cyril Ramaphosa said “the American people have spoken.”
Ramaphosa made the comments as he voted in South Africa’s municipal elections on Wednesday, adding: “I think this will usher in a new era in global relations… We hope that on a bilateral basis there will be a coming together of minds.”
A senior Russian diplomat suggested that the Democratic Party’s return to power in both houses of Congress bodes ill for U.S.-Russian relations. “The approach of the militant wing of the Democratic Party towards Russia is extremely negative. This is nothing new,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the official RIA-Novosti news agency. Rybakov also indicated that there would be no big changes in Russian foreign policy.
In Germany, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius congratulated Democrats on a “historic victory”, adding that Berlin’s commitment to cooperating with the Washington administration remained unchanged. He stressed that Berlin would reach out to Democrats and Republicans.
Supporters of the Iranian government march on American and Israeli flags during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. embassy takeover, in front of the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Vahid Salemi/AP
hide caption
Vahid Salemi/AP
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the results are a “powerful political signal of a change of course among American voters.” Speaking to Reuters, Stoere said that “voices are now emerging in American politics that are closer to us than the president and the administration have stood for, for example on climate and the environment, as well as on foreign policy and development aid policy.”
There was no immediate reaction from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with whom Trump has often sparred, said on
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told a daily news conference that the midterm elections “are an internal affair of the United States.” She added that “China stands ready to continue working with the United States to…strengthen communication, properly handle disputes, expand cooperation, and build a constructive and strategically stable China-US relationship based on the principles of respect, fairness and reciprocity.”
Japan’s top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, told a news conference that Japan’s alliance with the United States remains essential to global peace and stability, regardless of the outcome of the midterm elections.
The alliance “remains the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy” and is crucial to “maximizing its national interests” in an increasingly volatile and uncertain global situation,” he added.
The Middle East reacts
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf commented: “Conscience or the cost of living, the Americans said NO TO WAR, and we agree with this message. If the US government betrays its public desire to serve international payers and blackmailers, it will learn that our NO comes with a nightmare.
For Israel, the U.S. midterm results come at a time of political uncertainty, amid coalition-building talks after Trump’s ally, outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, lost his parliamentary majority in Israel’s Oct. 27 election. “In a way, Netanyahu lost two elections last week,” said Israeli-American analyst Mairav Zonstein.
Netanyahu’s rivals have seized on the midterm results. An Israeli opposition leader, Yair Golan, said the US results reveal “how toxic Netanyahu is, both among Democrats and Republicans.” Another, Yair Lapid, said the U.S. results “eliminate any possibility of a Netanyahu-led unity government.”
Additional reporting by Charles Maynes in Moscow, Esme Nicholson in Berlin, Lauren Frayer in Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Istanbul, Anthony Kuhn in Seoul.
Gn world
