As President Trump takes big steps on Day 1 of his second term, world leaders are reacting

London – in President Trump’s subsequent speech took the oath of office For his second term on Monday, he announced a series of policies that will transform the United States’ relationship with the rest of the world. In addition, it is immediately compressed immigration Mr. Trump signed as he crossed the southern border executive orders Draw the US Outside the World Health Organization and The Paris Climate Agreement.

While some international leaders congratulated Mr. Trump, others were unhappy with his first actions as president. Below, take a look at the reactions from around the world to Mr. Trump’s first steps.

Reaction to Trump’s statement about the withdrawal of the United States from the WHO

WHO is the United Nations organization responsible for global public health. It has nearly 200 member states and plays a leading role in coordinating international responses to disease outbreaks and other health issues. Mr Trump’s announcement kicked off a year-long warning period for the US to formally withdraw from the WHO and halt all financial contributions to the body.

In a speech on Monday, Mr. Trump accused the WHO of mishandling the issue The Covid-19 pandemic and other global health crises, he said the agency does not operate free of “undue political influence from WHO member states” and that the United States is demanding “unfairly heavy fees” that are disproportionate to some other, larger countries, such as China. pays.

“The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media.

“For more than seven decades, WHO and the United States have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together we ended smallpox and together we are on the verge of eradicating polio,” said Tedros. “We hope the United States will reconsider, and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to preserve the partnership between the United States and WHO for the health and well-being of millions of people around the world.”

Berlin will try to persuade Mr Trump to change his mind about the WHO, Reuters news agency quoted Germany’s health minister as saying on Tuesday, while a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry told reporters that “the WHO’s role should only be strengthened, not weakened”.

“China will, as always, support the WHO in fulfilling its obligations,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding that Beijing would “work to build a shared health community for humanity,” according to the AFP news agency.

Reaction to Trump’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement

In response to Mr. Trump’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement a move that will take a year to complete UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said anyone who doesn’t use clean energy will miss out on “huge gains, millions of manufacturing jobs and clean air”.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding agreement on climate change adopted by 196 parties in 2015. Its goal is to “prevent global average temperature increases well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and limit temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“Ignoring this only sends all that great wealth to competing economies, while climate disasters like drought, wildfires and storms get worse, destroying property and businesses, hitting food production nationwide and fueling price inflation in the economy,” Stiell said. Reuters added that there is still room for the new Trump administration to change course.

“The door remains open to the Paris Agreement and we welcome constructive engagement from any and all countries,” Stiell said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday that Europe will “continue to follow its path and continue to work with all nations that want to protect and stop nature”. global warming”.

He pledged that the 27-nation EU bloc would adhere to the terms and goals of the Paris agreement, which he said “remains the best hope for all humanity”.

“Extraordinary fear” in Europe

Georgios Samaras, a public policy lecturer at King’s College London, said European leaders must decide how to position themselves in relation to Mr Trump and his policies.

“I’ve spoken to my colleagues in the European Union, and right now there’s an extraordinary sense of fear in the commission because they don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Samaras told CBS News. “I believe that Trump will choose his allies very carefully, and those who do not kneel will face the consequences of Trump’s agenda.”

“Either the EU will find a way to communicate with Trump, or they could be targeted in a similar way,” he predicted.

Mr Trump threatened the EU with tariffs, but von der Leyen sent him “best wishes”.

“The EU looks forward to working closely with you to tackle global challenges,” the EU leader wrote on social media. “Together, our societies can achieve greater progress and strengthen their common security. This is the enduring strength of the transatlantic partnership.”

Reaction to Trump’s inauguration from other global voices

Initial reactions from many world leaders were congratulatory, despite rising tensions between Mr. Trump and some of the United States’ longtime allies.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been repeatedly attacked on social media in recent weeks by Trump appointee Elon Musk, said: “For centuries, the relationship between our two peoples has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership.” “With President Trump’s long-standing love and historic ties to Great Britain, I know the depth of friendship will continue.”

Former President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the US state-sponsored terrorism list in his final days in office. Mr. Trump immediately reversed this moveCuban President Miquel Diaz-Canal called it “an act of arrogance and disregard for the truth.”

Mr. Trump made the threat again in his inaugural address Take back control of the Panama Canal.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded shortly after his speech, reiterating that “the Canal is and always will be Panamanian, and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has hit back at Mr Trump’s executive orders that allow US troops to be sent to the southern border and designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Sheinbaum said the orders were similar to policies under Mr. Trump’s previous administrations, so Mexico was prepared.

“They can operate in their territories within their own constitutions. This is what we are saying: Stay away from our sovereignty, our independence. We can coordinate, but we are a free, independent and sovereign country and we will seek coordination,” Sheinbaum said.

He also criticized Mr. Trump’s order Rename the Gulf of Mexico To the “Gulf of America”.

“To us and to the world, it’s still the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.

Mr. Trump did not immediately impose new tariffs on China, as he had indicated he might, and recently delayed a ban on China-owned TikTok that was considered under his previous administration and passed under the Biden administration.

“China is ready to work with the new US government under the strategic leadership of the two presidents,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo said Tuesday, according to the South China Morning Post. “The economic relationship between China and the United States is fundamentally mutually beneficial, despite differences and disputes. China believes that there is room for cooperation and dialogue in this area of ​​trade, and both countries can negotiate more.”

“The best days of our alliance are yet to come,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on Monday.

“Your first term as president was full of groundbreaking moments,” Netanyahu said. “I am confident that we will complete the defeat of Iran’s terrorist axis and open a new era of peace and prosperity for our region.”

Iran’s semi-official student news agency quoted Kazem Gharibabadi, the country’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, as saying that Tehran is ready for direct talks with the new US administration to remove sanctions, as in the past. was raised.

“If the other side has the same intention, negotiations will take place and a result can be achieved,” Garibabadi said.

Iranians speaking to CBS News on the streets of Tehran expressed their concerns, given Mr. Trump’s previous tough stance on policy toward their country and the devastating impact of sanctions already in place.

Kimia, a 26-year-old arts graduate who declined to give her full name, told CBS News that she hopes Mr. Trump will resume his “maximum pressure” tactics on his country’s leaders, forcing him to change his domestic policies and allocate more funds. resources for the welfare of the Iranian people “compared to other countries”.

Others hoped that Mr. Trump could start new negotiations with the relatively new, reformist nation of Iran. President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Mayan, a 29-year-old graduate student in Tehran, said: “I believe that this time between President Trump and Iran’s President Mr. Pezeshkian, there can be positive talks, and there is hope that it will turn out well for the Iranian people.”

At a meeting of Russia’s Security Council hours before Mr Trump was sworn in, President Vladimir Putin praised the new administration for its aim to restore direct lines of communication with Moscow cut by the Biden White House.

“Of course, we welcome this position and congratulate the president-elect of the United States of America on his inauguration,” Putin said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also congratulated Mr. Trump on Monday.

“President Trump is always determined, and peace through his announced policy of strength provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a lasting and just peace, which is a top priority,” Zelensky said.

It is unclear how Mr. Trump will handle the war in Ukraine after campaigning for a swift end to the conflict. After Russia launched a large-scale invasion in 2022, the United States has been providing large-scale military aid to Ukraine.

In a separate video message, Zelensky said that the new American administration offers a good opportunity to achieve peace.

“Ukrainians are ready to work together with the Americans to achieve peace, real peace. “This is an opportunity worth seizing.”

contributed to this report.