I just want to read a couple of notes coming in from world leaders. Macron has posted on social media, Congratulations, President Trump, ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions in mind, with respect and ambition for more peace and prosperity. And from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moments ago, Dear Donald and Melania Trump, congratulations on history's greatest comeback. Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory in true friendship, Benjamin and Sarah Netanyahu. Martha, that is the next question, how the world responds. These world leaders, many of them, have interacted, have worked with Donald Trump when he was the 45th President. What is the reaction tonight from around the world and the implications here?
Well, I think you heard Benjamin Netanyahu and former President Trump, and likely President-elect Trump, has said he backs Israel all the way. But what he has said about Gaza is he wants the war Then quickly, John Satuchi reported tonight that I believe it was Donald Trump Jr, not Eric, said one of the first things his father would do is Middle East peace. He has claimed that the attack on Israel would never have happened. He claimed the war in Ukraine, that Russia never would have invaded Ukraine. The war in Gaza, obviously, has been horrific. How he solves that, I don't know. He said he would solve these wars even before he got into office, if he gets into office. Ukraine, I think I have talked to people very close to President Zelenskyy over the last couple of weeks about the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency. Surprisingly, I think there's a debate going on that they are not really happy with what the Biden administration has done. It has been a slow, painful death for a lot of Ukrainian soldiers. They have wanted more aid. They have wanted longer-range missiles and have not gotten that. So there was...
With one advisor in particular, he said, I don't know, maybe Trump can help us out more than anything. Maybe Putin will be afraid of him.
Interesting. John Karl, what do you make of some of the other global impact of Donald Trump returning to the White House? The dynamics at play, NATO, the relationship with NATO, the Biden administration, and President Joe Biden, very proud of what he believed were strengthening relationships with NATO, particularly in defense of Ukraine. Where does that go from here?
Well, look, Donald Trump didn't have a lot of policy specifics in this campaign. Frankly, in his White House, he didn't have a lot of consistent policy specifics. But one that he was entirely consistent on was pressuring our NATO allies, demanding that they pay more of our collective self defense, and even doing things like coming very close, stepping up to the line of taking back Article 5, the idea that an attack on one is an attack on all, that we would come to the defense of any NATO ally that was attacked. He came very close to order during the withdrawal of US troops from Europe. This is going to be, once again, a very tense relationship with NATO. It's been a very friendly relationship with Joe Biden under very tough times. Joe Biden is a fervent multilateralist. Donald Trump's foreign policy, as he says, is America first. Very different. But one thing that I wonder about, I was in the White House when President Trump came after he won in 2016 and was welcomed in by Barack Obama. And Barack Obama made it clear to the White House staff, he said, We are going to have a smooth transition.
Donald Trump has won the presidency. It is our job to ensure there is a smooth transition. There were people in that White House that were distraught. They were nothing to do with that. They thought Donald Trump was a threat. It's exactly what you're going to have right now in the Joe Biden White House. I think it'll be very interesting to see Biden's actions in the coming days. There's obviously been zero relationship there of any constructive form. What does this transition look like and how does Biden facilitate it?
World leaders and top officials are reacting to the unfolding results of the 2024 presidential election as the contest draws to an ...