The election in the United States - Reactions

Sources: Biden wants to send $6 billion to Ukraine before Trump takes over

The Biden administration plans to send the six billion dollars in aid to Ukraine that has already been decided before Donald Trump takes office. Administration sources told Politico.

It usually takes months to prepare deliveries, and the White House would then have to work much faster than it has done in the past.

One of the problems is that the US does not have stocks of equipment ready to send, says Mark Cancian at the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, who previously worked on the budget within the Department of Defense

- The administration can, of course, remove our own stocks and send equipment faster, but it is unclear if the Pentagon would like that, because it would affect our own readiness.

Trump has previously said he plans to end aid to Ukraine if he becomes president.

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Kamala Harris: "Accepting the loss - that's what separates democracy from tyranny"

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris opened her address to the nation on Wednesday by thanking the voter for their trust and praising election workers for their efforts during the election campaign.

- My heart is full today. Full of gratitude for the trust I received, and full of love for our country, says Harris.

Before the speech, Harris called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory. In her speech, she promises to work for a peaceful transition of power and help the newly elected president and his team with the installation.

- When we lose an election, we accept the result. That distinguishes democracy from tyranny, she says.

The vice president rounded off his speech by urging his supporters to keep up the commitment and not lose heart.

- During the campaign I used to say 'when we fight, we win'. But this is how it is. Sometimes the fight takes longer. That doesn't mean we won't win.
 

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Bernie Sanders: Workers are abandoning the Democrats

Kamala Harris and the Democratic leadership receive harsh criticism from leftist Senator Bernie Sanders after the election loss.

In a statement that he has shared on X, Sanders writes that "it should be no great surprise for a party that has abandoned the working class, that the working class also abandons the party."

At the same time, the left faces harsh criticism from Democrats who say they undermined the Harris campaign.

- Donald Trump has no better friend than the extreme left, which has historically alienated many Latinos, blacks, Asians and Jews with absurdities such as "Defund the police" or "From the river to the sea", says the member of the House of Representatives Ritchie Torres to the Wall Street Journal.

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McDonald's move praised: "The smartest thing I've seen"

Donald Trump paved the way for a return to the White House by posting pictures of his grandchildren, doing interviews with unknown podcasts and partially ignoring his advisers. This is written by the Washington Post, which, through interviews with people in both parties, describes the very eventful election campaign.

Trump's former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, believes that Trump sometimes found it difficult to generate enthusiasm around his election meetings, but that during the course of the election campaign he managed to present himself as a "normal guy you like".

Parscale singles out one move in particular at the end of the campaign, in which Trump served French fries.

- McDonalds was the smartest thing I've seen him do.

In August, Trump is said to have been asked to shorten his speeches, focus on the economy and stick to the script. But the advice was ignored.

- But people want a show, was the answer from Trump. 

 

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Trump's climate policy will be "drill, baby, drill"

With Donald Trump as president, many of the United States' most important climate measures are being put at risk, according to several experts the AP has spoken to.

Trump has summed up his climate and energy policy with the words "drill, baby, drill" and promised to increase the extraction of oil, natural gas and coal. In addition, he wants to stop the subsidies for wind power that are included in President Joe Biden's comprehensive climate package from 2022.

The US has succeeded in reducing carbon dioxide emissions mainly by replacing coal-fired power plants with renewables, according to Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson

- It's not just about the climate. It is about our lives and our health, he says.

Former UN climate director Christiana Figueres points out that it will be difficult to convince companies to slow down green investments and ventures because green technology has already made fossil fuels lose their competitiveness.

- Investing in oil and gas means falling behind in a fast-moving world, she tells Politico.