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By MOLLY NAGLE and JOHN VERHOVEK, ABC News
(WILMINGTON, Del.) – President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris formally announced their team of foreign policy and national security officials who will lead their administration’s efforts to fulfill Biden’s campaign promise to restore the position. of the United States on the world stage.
Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden and Harris joined their selections for top-tier government jobs onstage, including Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Alejando Mayorkas and Avril Haines, the election of Biden for director of national intelligence.
Also joining the group were Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Biden’s nominee for UN ambassador; Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor Nominee; and former Secretary of State John Kerry, who will join the Biden administration as special presidential envoy for climate.
“It is a team that will keep our country and people safe and secure, and it is a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not to withdraw from it,” Biden said. reference to the opposition of President Donald Trump. “America First” Approach. “Once again, [we will] sit at the head of the table, ready to face our adversaries and not reject our allies, ready to defend our values ”.
In a nod to the storied nature of several of his picks, Biden said the picks he unveiled Tuesday represent “unrelenting faith in America’s promise.”
“The team is right now, this team behind me. They represent my core beliefs that America is stronger when it works with its allies, ”said Biden. “Together, this team has achieved some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements of recent times, made possible by decades of experience working with our partners.”
Blinken, a veteran foreign policy officer for Biden, spoke directly to rank-and-file members of the State Department in his remarks and shared his own stepfather’s story about escaping the Holocaust – a story he says reflects the message. that America should send to the world.
“That is what we are. That is what the United States represents to the world, albeit imperfectly. Now we have to proceed with equal measures of humility and trust. Humility because, as the president-elect said, we cannot solve all the problems of the world alone. We need to work with other countries, ”Blinken said.
Mayorkas, who would be the first Latino and the first immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security, also recalled his family’s history and how it will guide his decision-making.
“I am proud that for the first time the department is led by an immigrant, a Latino, who knows that we are a nation of laws and values,” said Mayorkas.
Expected to be the first woman to lead the US intelligence community, Haines pledged to represent the “patriots” that make up the intelligence community, and said her role as the next director of national intelligence will be to “tell the truth. to power “, adding that he knows that Biden respects the opinion of the intelligence committee.
“I have worked for you for a long time and I accept this nomination knowing that… you value the perspective of the intelligence community, and that you will do so even when what I have to say is inconvenient or difficult, and I assure you. there will be those moments, ”Haines said with Biden standing next to her.
Thomas-Greenfield, who would be the second black woman to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, also delivered a message to diplomats and public servants around the world in her remarks.
“Today I am thinking of the American people, my fellow career diplomats, and public servants around the world. I want to tell you, America is back. Multilateralism is back, ”said Thomas-Greenfield, who also referenced his roots growing up in the segregated South.
Biden also praised Sullivan, who served as his national security adviser when he was vice president, for having a “unique intellect in a generation,” noting the wealth of experience Sullivan possesses and the role he has played as a key political adviser to his successful success. 2020 presidential campaign.
“He has told us that the partnerships that we rebuild, the institutions that we lead, the agreements that we sign, all must be judged by one basic question: Will this make life better, easier and safer for families across this country? Our foreign policy has to comply with these families, ”Sullivan said at the event.
Biden also spoke about the historic nature of Kerry’s position in his administration, focusing on climate change as a national security issue.
“For the first time, we will have a presidential envoy for climate. You will be assigned a climate policy coordinator and a high-level policymaking structure in the White House, to be announced in December, and who will lead efforts here in the United States to combat the climate crisis, mobilize actions to confront the existential threat we face. Biden said about the role of Kerry.
“Let me be clear. I don’t for a minute underestimate the difficulties of meeting my bold commitments to fight climate change,” Biden continued. “But at the same time, no one should underestimate for a minute my determination to do just that. .
The former secretary of state, who was involved in negotiating the Paris Climate Agreement during the Obama administration, pointed to Biden’s desire to address climate change more emphatically globally.
“At the world meeting in Glasgow a year from now, all nations must raise ambition together or we will all fail together, and failure is not an option. Being successful together means harnessing the best of American ingenuity, creativity and diplomacy, from brain power to the power of alternative energy, using all the tools we have to get where we need to go. No one should doubt the determination of this president and vice president, ”said Kerry.
While describing the qualifications of his national security and foreign policy team, Biden also said he was “pleased” that the General Services Administration, after a delay of more than two weeks, allowed his transition team access to resources. governments that were granted to him as president-elect.
“I am pleased to have received verification from the GSA to carry out a smooth and peaceful transition of power so that our teams can prepare to meet today’s challenges: control the pandemic, better rebuild, and protect the safety and security of the American people. ”Said Biden.
Biden also looked to the next step in the nomination process: Senate confirmation.
“I hope that these prominent nominees receive a prompt hearing and that we can work down the aisle in good faith to move the country forward,” Biden said. “Let’s begin that work to heal and unite, to heal and unite America, as well as the world.”
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