Greek officials were quick to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in messages circulated on social media and sent across the Atlantic shortly after the Associated Press projected Biden and Harris to win the hotly-contested 2020 elections.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou used her platform to share her excitement about Harris being elected the first female Vice President in U.S. history, while also taking an indirect jab at President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Climate Accord by “welcoming the US” back to the Paris Agreements.
“Congratulations to @JoeBiden, new President-Elect of the USA and @KamalaHarris, first female Vice-President. Looking forward to extending our cooperation and friendship under your presidency. Welcoming the US again to the #ParisAgreement on climate change is the first step!” Sakellaropoulou Tweeted.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the first world leader to congratulate Biden via Twitter and Facebook.
In his Tweet, he reiterated what many in Greek-U.S. political circles have been claiming since the former vice president won his party’s support to head the ticket against Donald Trump, that Biden has been a “true friend” of Greece and that he looked forward to a stronger relationship during a Biden presidency.
“Congratulations to US President-Elect @JoeBiden. Joe Biden has been a true friend of Greece and I’m certain that under his presidency the relationship between our countries will grow even stronger,” Mitsotakis Tweeted.
The “Naked Petty Dictator” and other headlines
Newspapers carried the news about Biden’s victory as a positive development for Greece, reminding readers about Donald Trump’s close relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, particularly the report published by the New York Times about the influence Erdogan has over Trump.
Avgi, a left-leaning newspaper, called Trump a “naked petty dictator,” while Kathimerini took a more serious tone, headlining a piece on its front page that argued that Biden will have a difficult time turning the page for the United States and the world.
To Vima, one of Greece’s most widely-circulated newspapers, headlined that Donald Trump was “Out of Control.”
