Italy on Wednesday tried to absorbe Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in the United States Presidential election.
Premier Matteo Renzi on Wednesday congratulated Trump.
"The world is saluting Trump's election," said Renzi, who had said he hoped Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would win. "In Italy's name I congratulate him and wish him well for his work, convinced that our friendship remains strong and solid. "This is a starting point for the whole international community... "It's a new political development which, along with others, show that we are in a new season".
Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Northern League, on Wednesday hailed Donald Trump's election as United States president as the "revenge of the people". "It's a blow to globalization," Salvini told the League's Radio Padania. "It's a win for courage, pride and labour and security issues against the banks, speculators, journalists and pollsters. The people have beaten the powers-that-be 3-0". Salvini added that his party, which, like Trump, takes hard-line stances on migration, should follow the lead of the U.S. president elect. "It's time to be more daring," he said.
Former Italian premier Enrico Letta on Wednesday described Trump's win as the biggest political development since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"The greatest political breakage since the fall of the Berlin Wall. A big wake-up call for Europe," Letta said via Twitter.
Italian Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Benedetto Della Vedova said Wednesday that Trump's win meant Europe was now more alone. "The United States will survive Trump," Della Vedova said. "My concern is what will happen in our home. As of tonight, Europe is more alone and I don't think it's equipped to be so. "We'll have a political season in which everyone will be a little Trump, isolating one EU country from another and making Europe weakener at a time in which we will be called on to play a crucial match for democracy, tolerance, multilateralism and international trade".
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