Anti-West Axis Reacts to Trump Election Victory

Latest Developments

• Iranians Hopeful as Regime Scoffs: Iranian officials played down the election of Donald Trump, despite U.S. intelligence officials accusing Iran of trying to assassinate him during his candidacy. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on November 6 that “it does not matter at all who has won the American election.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued threatening Israel.

• Putin Congratulates as Russian Media Celebrates: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump during a speech on November 7. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the United States as “an unfriendly country that’s both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our nation.” Pundits on state-run media outlets nevertheless celebrated Trump’s victory, predicting that his administration would cut off aid to Ukraine.

• Facing Tariffs, China’s Xi Calls for ‘Win-Win’ Cooperation: Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Trump and called for stable China-U.S. relations to benefit both nations. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs as high as 200 percent if China were to “go into” Taiwan.

FDD Expert Response

“No doubt, Iran must be terrified that the candidate it has been trying to kill will assume the presidency in 2025. But that does not mean that the threats emanating from the Islamic Republic are set to diminish anytime soon. The regime means what it says when it chants ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel.’ The quicker an Iran policy is implemented to counter the full scale of the regime’s threats, the better.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow

“China’s restrained response to Trump’s victory reflects a tactical pause as Beijing seeks some much-needed breathing space to address its domestic economic challenges. However, with strategic tensions running deep, a lasting improvement in U.S.-China relations appears unlikely.” — Craig Singleton, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s China Program

“Although U.S. intelligence said that Russia is the ‘predominant threat to U.S. elections’ and that Moscow preferred Trump, the Kremlin is careful how it frames the election results. Russia’s key goal is to undermine the U.S.-led world order and promote a multipolar world, and Moscow has already stated that whoever is in power in the United States is an enemy of Russia. Trump has a long history of unpredictable foreign policy, which makes Putin nervous. Putin is not up for negotiations over Ukraine and will just use his time to rearm and reposition his military and continue with his war ambitions. The sooner the incoming Trump administration accepts that Moscow is waging a hybrid war against Washington, the better. Putin understands only the language of power, and Trump should not fall for Putin’s games.” — Ivana Stradner, Research Fellow