Democrats' U.S. midterm victory brings relief in Europe, with caution over Trump's grip on foreign policy

Europe reacted with relief and delight to the Democrats' big victory in the U.S. midterm elections. The Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as several governorships, winning big in Republican strongholds like South Carolina, Texas and even Kansas. While some races were yet to be called on Wednesday morning, the result is being seen as a monumental rebuke of President Donald Trump.

For Europe, which has weathered Trump's incessant verbal attacks and tariff threats for the last two years, it was a rare ray of hope in transatlantic politics — if not because Washington would become a more predictable partner, then at least because the U.S. president might be too distracted to focus his usual ire on Europeans.

European Parliament Vice President Sophie Wilmes, a former Belgian prime minister, heralded a major shift in the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. She said she hoped it would lead to a calmer, more constructive relationship with Europe.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the Democratic victory historic but cautioned against Europe expecting too much. Speaking on Wednesday morning at the Berlin Security Conference, he said they would seek close contact with the Democrats, but they did not know what the president would do after the election in the near future.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said American society voted against policies that only impoverish. He said the vote was against hate, against sexism, against climate change denial and against the privileges of the elites.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski reshared his own tweet from June last year responding to Elon Musk, a key Trump ally. It read: see, big man, politics is harder than you thought.

For Europe's ascendant far right, the midterms are an uncomfortable reminder of the political risks of being too closely associated with the U.S. president. Jordan Bardella, leader of France's National Rally, was keen to chalk up Trump's unfavorable result to his decision to go to war with Iran more than anything else. He said on Wednesday morning that the U.S. intervention in Iran had had a very strong impact on the U.S. economy, but also on the European economy. Bardella added that the RN's presidential candidate Marine Le Pen was still leading in the French polls ahead of next year's election and insisted defeats for nationalist politicians in Brazil, Hungary and now the U.S. did not bode ill for his party's chances.

Marine Tondelier, leader of France's Greens, said Trump had made the United States the laughingstock of the world and called the result a warning for France ahead of the presidential election in April. She said if her country brought the RN to power next year, it would meet the same tragic fate as the United States.

The cost-of-living crisis was top of American voters' minds, according to polls. That is also the case in European countries, from France to Spain to Greece, which are grappling with soaring rents and widespread anger at apparently impotent governments.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker sought to downplay the prospect of a shift in Washington's foreign policy following the midterm elections. He said the foreign policy of the United States had not changed, adding that the issues facing the U.S. and its European allies remained the same.

European markets, meanwhile, greeted the results with cautious optimism. Paris, London and Frankfurt opened slightly higher on Wednesday, following the Democrats' sweeping victory.

For all the celebrations, European officials were also quick to acknowledge that a Democratic-controlled Congress does not automatically translate into a more accommodating U.S. administration. Trump retains considerable room to maneuver on foreign policy, including on the issues that have most strained transatlantic ties: European security, trade and Russia's war in Ukraine. France's Economy Minister Roland Lescure noted on Wednesday morning that while Trump would be quite weakened domestically, the unpredictable president remained in charge of international policy.

Finnish MEP Mika Aaltola wrote on X that voters have a habit of balancing power, and now the president's hands are more tied in domestic and foreign policy. Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta was more emphatic, writing on X that Europe is much stronger thanks to the blue wave.

Kathleen Van Brempt, vice-chair of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, shared a White House tweet predicting a Trump victory — and captioned it that it was, actually, America that won.

Despite the ballot-box drubbing, Trump himself could not resist a final shot at Europe, during an election night call with Fox News. He warned that Europe was dying, pointing to what was going on in France, Italy and all these other countries, saying they were going through a terrible time and might not even survive, while, in his words, we are thriving.