Is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?

Keir Starmer posted on X that he was looking forward to working with Trump and that the "special relationship" between the UK and US would "continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic".

Trump comes to office facing several criminal charges, after being impeached twice and leaving the White House in 2021 under what The Hill called "ignominious circumstances".

But it is his messages on foreign affairs that have the world wondering what his second term in office will hold.

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What did the commentators say?

After withdrawing the US from multiple international agreements in his first term, Trump has once again set his sights on the treaties and organisations he disagrees with most, said Vox.

Not only has he "explicitly" promised to pull the US out of the Paris climate accords again, he has warned he might limit Washington's cooperation with UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization, and impose tariffs as high as 100% on goods imported into the US.

He has also made "big promises" on ending the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East in 24 hours, but "the reality is likely to be much harder and messier than he's suggested". His first term, after all, saw little change from his attempt to negotiate with North Korea, while his talks with the Taliban led to the end of the civilian government.

Nor is it certain that Trump will put pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to settle with Moscow, as Europe's leaders fear, said The Telegraph. If he does not, then Vladimir Putin could feel he has no choice but to negotiate a peace, "and the outcome might not be so unfavourable to Ukraine, and hence to the UK and the West in general".

As for the Middle East, while many Israelis support a Trump presidency, believing it will help their country, his "actual" policies towards the region are "both fickle and entirely opaque", said Haaretz. His "instability and fits of pique" could see him throwing Israel "under the bus" and add to Israel's "strategic vulnerability".

There are also fears that Trump's hardline presidency could lead to challenges over disputed regions such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, reported Newsweek.

However, political analyst Xu Qinduo, from the Pangoal Institution in Beijing, told the magazine that the Trump presidency could actually ease local tensions.

They will all have to deal with "this unpredictable, powerful person in the White House", he said, "so, that may give these countries something in common. It may be easier for them to handle their relationship."

What next?

When it comes to the UK, Trump's presidency will probably be noticed first in the economy, said Bronwen Maddox, director of the Chatham House think-tank, in The Independent.

"Especially important" is his planned 10% tariff on British imports, said The Telegraph, but that may not be all bad news. The US dollar would likely rise "quite considerably", making British goods cheaper in the US while reducing the demand for American imports in the UK, boosting demand for British-made products.

Trump's victory will also be felt within the next few days "on the other side of the world", reported Le Monde. China's officials announce their own economic stimulus programme on Friday and will have been closely watching events in Washington.

During his campaign, Trump vowed to impose tariffs of at least 60% on all Chinese imports, which could have "catastrophic consequences" for the country and halve its growth in the first year.

But congratulating the president-elect, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing would continue working with Washington "in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation".