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By Reuters 
6h ago
Wilmington, Delaware – President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States will be “ready to lead” on the world stage again, turning the page on Republican President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies as he pledged to work along with the nation’s policies. allies.
Introducing his foreign policy and national security team, the former Democratic vice president noted that, after taking office on January 20, he intended to drive the United States away from the unilateralist nationalism pursued by Trump.
Biden also noted that two former, more liberal rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, were not being considered for cabinet appointments, saying he needed their votes in the narrowly divided Senate.
Trump for four years troubled many US allies, in Europe and elsewhere, with an antagonistic approach to the NATO alliance and trade relations, abandonment of international agreements and warm relations with authoritarian leaders.
Biden said his team, which includes trusted aide Antony Blinken as its candidate for US secretary of state, would put aside what the president-elect described as “old unchanged thoughts and habits” in its approach to foreign relations.
“It is a team that reflects the fact that the United States is back, ready to lead the world, not withdraw from it, sit once more at the head of the table, ready to face our adversaries and not reject our allies. , ready to stand up for our values, “Biden said at the event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
The world has changed a lot since the last time Democrats were in the White House four years ago. China is on the rise and emboldened, Russia has tried to further assert its influence, the influence of the United States has waned as it has withdrawn from various agreements, and the American moral authority has been affected by internal turmoil.
US foreign policy under the Biden administration is likely to take a more multilateral and diplomatic approach aimed at repairing Washington’s relations with key allies and seeking new paths on issues such as climate change.
His promise to embrace alliances, including in the Asia-Pacific region, follows a deterioration in bilateral ties between the United States and China, the world’s two major economies, which has drawn comparisons to the Cold War.
This final year of the Trump administration was marked by frequent attacks on China as the two powers argued over China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, deteriorating freedoms in Hong Kong and territorial problems in the South China Sea.
Trump has told his allies that he plans to pardon his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a source familiar with the situation said Tuesday.
The source said Trump could still change his mind on the planned pardon, which was first reported by Axios.
Biden has moved quickly to rally his team and make cabinet decisions after defeating Trump, who has fought a legal battle to try to overturn the results, falsely claiming the election was stolen through widespread election fraud.
Biden said his team had been able to begin coordinating with the Trump administration on national security, the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine distribution plans since he received the green light Monday for formal transition efforts.
“We are not going to be as far behind the curve as we thought we could be in the past,” Biden said in an interview with NBC News. “There is a lot of immediate discussion, and I must say that the approach has been sincere.”
Critics have said that Trump’s refusal to accept the results undermined the incoming administration’s ability to combat the growing coronavirus pandemic that has killed an estimated 259,000 Americans and put millions out of work.
On Tuesday, the White House gave Biden the green light to begin receiving the president’s daily intelligence report. Biden said he had not received one yet, but that he expected it regularly.
When asked by NBC about the possibility of nominating Sanders or Warren to its cabinet, Biden said there was nothing off the table, but noted that they might be more needed in the Senate, where the ruling party will rule by a very wide margin. narrow.
Two elections in Georgia on January 5 will determine which party has the majority in the Senate. Democrats also saw their majority reduced in the House of Representatives in the November 3 elections.
“Removing someone from the Senate, removing someone from the House, particularly an important person, is really a tough decision,” Biden said. “I have a very ambitious and very progressive agenda, and it will take really strong leaders in the House and Senate to get it done.”
During his presentation with his national security team, Biden urged the Senate to give its nominees who require chamber confirmation “a prompt hearing” and expressed his hope that he could work with Republicans “in good faith.”
“Let’s get that work started … to heal and unite America and the world,” added Biden.
However, some Republican senators indicated that they might be willing to get in the way of their cabinet appointments. Marco Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on Twitter that Biden’s cabinet elections “will be educated and orderly caretakers of America’s decline.”
Pennsylvania became the last pivotal state on Tuesday to certify that Biden had won. The Nevada Supreme Court also confirmed Tuesday that Biden had won the state and sent the results to the Democratic governor of Nevada for final certification.
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