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Biden spoke on Tuesday with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin of Ireland and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, according to Biden’s transition team. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said Monday that he had called Biden to congratulate him on his victory.
Biden said Tuesday that he believes Trump’s refusal to compromise is a “disgrace” and damages the president’s legacy.
“I know from my conversations with foreign leaders so far that they are hopeful that America’s democratic institutions will once again be seen as strong and durable,” Biden said. “But I believe that at the end of the day, it will all come true on January 20, and between now and then, my hope and expectation is that the American people know and understand that there has been a transition.”
The president’s refusal to accept his loss has stalled the steps necessary to transition from government to Biden. With no formal transition in place, foreign leaders have called in former Obama administration diplomats to obtain contact information for Biden’s team in order to call and congratulate him rather than using State Department channels, according to familiar diplomatic officials. with how foreign governments approach a new administration.
In a clear departure from Trump’s foreign policy and isolationist worldview, Biden’s calls with foreign leaders focused on strengthening ties abroad and addressing global challenges, including the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis, with the help from allies. All of his calls on Tuesday to foreign leaders mentioned the pandemic, the global climate crisis and the global economic recovery, according to readings provided by Biden’s transition team.
The president-elect told Macron he wanted to reinvigorate bilateral and transatlantic ties, including through NATO and the European Union. They spoke about human rights and building global health security, with Biden expressing his willingness to work to address security and development in Africa, the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and Iran’s nuclear program.
Macron tweeted a photo of what appears to be himself on the phone with Biden and wrote: “We will have a lot to do together to promote shared priorities – climate, global health, international security – and effective multilateral action.”
Similarly, Biden told Merkel that he hoped to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany, and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to cooperate on a shared agenda with the EU. They spoke about the global challenges of containing the coronavirus pandemic, driving a global economic recovery and addressing the climate crisis.
In his appeal to Martin, Biden reaffirmed his support for the Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of deadly sectarian violence in Ireland and the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Martin tweeted that he had a “warm and engaging call” with Biden, praising the president-elect and saying that he “brings tremendous knowledge and understanding to his new role, and that he has great love for his Irish heritage.” He said they had talked about the importance of the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, from which Trump had announced that the United States was withdrawing. He invited Biden and future first lady Jill Biden to Ireland to “appropriately mark his success.”
Biden and Johnson spoke for about 25 minutes, and someone with knowledge of the call described the call as friendly. Biden told Johnson that he especially looks forward to working closely on global challenges as the UK prepares to host the 2021 G-7 and the UN Climate Change Conference. They spoke about the pandemic and global health security, pursuing a sustainable economic recovery, combating climate change and strengthening democracy, among other topics. Biden expressed interest in comparing shared priorities with the UK, NATO and the EU.
Macron tweeted that he and Biden had talked about working together on a number of issues, including the climate crisis, pandemic, trade, energy, NATO, racism, and China’s arrest of Canadians Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and consultant Michael Spavor.
