Donald Trump is not a man to mince his words — even when it comes to commenting on other nations.
After his projected victory in the US presidential election, Trump will now represent the United States on the world stage. But how will the world greet him?
Here’s a rundown of Trump’s past comments:
Mexico
Donald Trump mentioned Mexico frequently on the campaign trail. The GOP nominee’s first controversial campaign remarks came in his presidential announcement speech, when he called some Mexican immigrants “rapists” and criminals. He also promised to “build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”
In July 2015, he tweeted: “I love the Mexican people, but Mexico is not our friend. They’re killing us at the border and they’re killing us on jobs and trade. FIGHT!”
Trump mixed the insults with some pleasantries, including on a visit to Mexico in August to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto. But there could well be anxiety south of the border as Mexico wakes to the news of a Trump presidency.
China
The US president-elect has signaled a tough line with China over trade, accusing it of “taking our jobs and taking our money.”
In an interview last month, Trump warned that he would be willing to cut off US relations with China over its business practices.
“They’re not going to do it, because if China ever did that, and if we ever cut off relationships with China, China would go bust so fast. I mean, China lives off the money out of the United States. They devalue their currency and they take our businesses,” he told KSNV’s Jim Snyder.
When President Barack Obama visited China in September for a G20 summit, Trump hit out over the lack of a red carpet from Air Force One.
He has repeatedly accused Beijing of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive and threatened to impose high tariffs on Chinese imports.
He has also previously accused China of cyber attacks and using North Korea to antagonize the United States.
“China controls North Korea. So now besides cyber hacking us all day, they are using the Norks to taunt us. China is a major threat,” he tweeted in April 2013.
Iran
Trump has been highly critical of the Obama administration over Iran, saying a landmark multilateral agreement last year over Iran’s nuclear program “gave back to Iran $150 billion and gave us absolutely nothing — it will go down in history as one of the worst deals ever negotiated.”
“Iran continues to … [do] many bad things behind our backs. Time to WALK and double the sanctions. Stop payments!” he tweeted in July last year.
Saudi Arabia
Trump may not find too many friends in Saudi Arabia. He slammed Obama for his veto — subsequently overridden — of a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, saying it was “shameful and will go down as one of the low points of his presidency.” Trump said that as president he would sign the legislation. Saudi Arabia described the law as of “great concern.”
Additionally, in June 2015, Trump tweeted: “Saudi Arabia should be paying the United States many billions of dollars for our defense of them. Without us, gone!”
Although Trump refused to release his tax returns, he filed a personal financial disclosure form with the Federal Election Commission in May which revealed he has business interests in at least 22 countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Germany and France
In January, Trump described Germany as a “total mess” as he lamented terror attacks in Germany and France, and urged both countries to “GET SMART!”
Interviewed on NBC’s Meet the Press in July, Trump indicated that he would implement tougher immigration controls for those two nations, saying “we have problems in Germany and we have problems with France” when it comes to Islamist extremism. What’s needed, he said, is “extreme vetting.”
He also blamed France for a series of devastating terror attacks on its soil, saying: “It’s their own fault, because they’ve allowed people over years to come into their territory.”
United Kingdom
In December last year, Trump angered many in the United Kingdom by suggesting it has a “massive Muslim problem.”
A public petition set up in the wake of Trump’s call to ban Muslims from the US garnered so many signatures — more than half a million — that UK lawmakers had to hold a non-binding debate about whether he could be banned from visiting Britain for hate speech. London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital, told CNN that Trump’s views of Islam were “ignorant” and that he hoped he would not win the presidency.
Trump’s mother is Scottish and the property mogul famously owns golf courses in Scotland. But he did himself no favors with many Scots when, on a visit to Scotland in June, he congratulated them via Twitter on the Brexit vote, saying they “took their country back.” The majority of Scots voted to remain in the European Union, not to leave.
Belgium
In January, Trump described life in the Belgian capital, Brussels, as living in a “hellhole” because of issues over multicultural integration.
But he may have made some amends — while raising questions about his knowledge of geography — at a rally in Atlanta in June, when he declared, “Belgium is a beautiful city.”
Pakistan
Trump hasn’t spared Pakistan from criticism either in years past, referring to the discovery of fugitive al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden there in 2011.
“When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some ‘ally,’ ” he tweeted back in July 2012.
In another tweet in January that year, Trump said: “Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend. We’ve given them billions and billions of dollars, and what did we get? Betrayal and disrespect—and much worse.”
Syria
Trump said in March that the US should take in no more refugees from war-torn Syria, suggesting they pose too much of a threat to “civilization as we know it.”
Four months earlier, he tweeted: “Refugees from Syria are now pouring into our great country. Who knows who they are – some could be ISIS. Is our president insane?”
South Africa
Some South Africans may also object to Trump’s language. Back in April last year he called the country “a total – and very dangerous – mess.”
In 2013, he also slammed the “corrupt and pathetic” South African police for not arresting a sign language interpreter ridiculed for his incoherent translation of the Nelson Mandela memorial service.
Russia
Of course, there are some countries about which Trump has spoken favorably. Most notable in the election campaign were his warm words for Russia, at a time when US-Russian relations have hit a post-Cold War low.
“It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond,” Trump said about Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement last December.
“I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect.”
Back in 2014, he said Putin had become “a big hero” whereas Obama’s popularity was falling.
Israel
In a video message to supporters in Israel last month, Trump said he would “make America and Israel safe again” and that his administration would “stand side-by-side with the Jewish people.”
He also tweeted “I think Israel is inspiring!” He, like his rival Hillary Clinton, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York in September.
Trump may have work to do, though, to win over all Israelis. During the campaign, some critics accused Trump of including and sharing anti-Semitic themes in his tweets.
India
Also last month, Trump said that if elected, the US would be “best friends” with India, adding: “There isn’t going to be any relationship more important to us.”
“Such amazing people in India. This trip is very enlightening!” he tweeted back in 2014.
Australia
Another nation to be complimented by Trump is Australia, described as “a beautiful country with terrific people.”
