Europe's right-wing populists distance themselves from Trump after the congressional election and blame above all the Iran war

Right-wing populist parties in Europe read the congressional election as a warning, without attacking Trump directly. The basis is projections according to which the Democrats win the Senate and the House of Representatives. There is no official final result yet.

The news agency Reuters has gathered voices from several countries, published in Spanish on Yahoo Noticias (13:35 CET). According to it, most party leaders avoid open criticism of Trump and attribute the defeat to the Iran war and the cost of living:

• France: Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National, says the US intervention in Iran has had very serious consequences for the global economy. He does not mention Trump. Purchasing power is the top priority, he says.
• Germany: AfD leader Alice Weidel says Trump had promised a non-interventionist foreign policy. According to t-online (4 November, 10:26 CET), this broken promise has “come back to bite” the Republicans. The wars in Iran and Ukraine should end as quickly as possible.
• Italy: Lega leader Matteo Salvini sees the election as shaped by wars, tensions and the cost of living. Roberto Vannacci, leader of the Futuro Nazionale party, says Trump did not meet expectations.
• Spain: Vox leader Santiago Abascal says he is interested in the situation in Spain, not in Michigan.
• United Kingdom: According to Reuters, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage calls the result a “derrota total y absoluta” (total and absolute defeat). War and fuel prices drove away young Trump voters, he says.
• Romania: Dan Dungaciu of the AUR party disagrees. Reports of Trump's political end are greatly exaggerated, he says.

The British Guardian, in an analysis by its Europe correspondent Jon Henley, republished by AOL (last updated 14:52 CET), comes to a similar picture. Trump's course on migration and cultural issues still finds approval among Europe's right. But his manner, his tariffs and his unpredictability are becoming a burden for them with their own voters. Abascal, whose party faces an election in Spain on 29 November, is quoted there with the words “in Spain, not in Michigan”. The lesson of the election is that voters under economic pressure punish incumbents. Centrist parties should not take this as an all-clear on populism.

In Italy, the newspaper La Voce d'Italia (11:36 CET) describes a divided response. The centre-right camp is speaking more cautiously about Trump, while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Forza Italia) sees the relationship with the US as unchanged. The centre-left camp around PD leader Elly Schlein reads the result as a model for a joint alliance. Salvini is quoted there with “E invece i conflitti sono aumentati” (Instead, the conflicts have increased).

These are the views of the respective politicians and media. Further voices from abroad are under Reports, what the new Congress can do from January is in the timeline.