US President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that he told world leaders who congratulated him that “America is back,” signaling the country’s return to greater global engagement in a reversal of the president’s isolationism. Donald Trump driven by his motto “America first”.
“I let you know that the United States is back. We will return to the game, ”Trump said in his first press conference after his election.
These were also Biden’s first comments directed at foreign nations, some of which have welcomed his election, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and India, while others such as China, Brazil and Russia have not.
Moscow has said it wanted President Trump to exhaust his legal options.
Biden repeated his message to the world in a subsequent tweet: “When I speak to foreign leaders, I tell them: America will come back. We will return to the game. “
Biden has spoken with leaders of five countries in the past two days, all close and traditional allies of the United States: Justin Trudeau of Canada, Emanuel Macron of France, Angela Merkel of Germany and Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom and Michael Martin of Ireland. You will be talking to more people in the next few days.
Biden made good on a promise to restore America’s role and leadership in global affairs. “And to lead again, we must restore our credibility and influence,” said his vision statement for his presidential campaign.
“From the first day of the Biden administration, other countries will once again have reason to trust and respect the word of an American president.”
Biden also sought to allay concerns at home about obstacles the Trump administration is placing in the smooth transfer of power, as is tradition.
But he said the president’s refusal to concede was a “disgrace, frankly” and that it “will not help his legacy.”
Biden’s transition team was already working, and the president-elect said he expected to name “at least a couple” of his cabinet members before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.
The Trump administration has refused to engage with Biden’s transition team, blocking funding and denying intelligence reports, among other things. And the president has continued to press allegations of voter fraud and to sue, none of which have had a serious impact. He has also insisted on falsely claiming that he won the election.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a close ally of the president, took it further. “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” he told reporters at a briefing. He tried to walk backwards later, facing increasing setback. “We will have a smooth transition and see what the people finally decided when all the votes have been cast,” he said on Fox News when asked if he was joking earlier.
President-elect Biden laughed at Pompeo’s partisan remarks at his own press conference. He had had very reassuring calls with world leaders.
He described his response: “very exaggerated and energetic” and added: “I am sure that we will be able to return to the United States a place of respect that it had before.”
Addressing Covid-19 and climate change featured in Biden’s conversations with all leaders, according to a reading released by the transition team.
With Biden, the United States could rejoin the Paris Agreement to address the climate crisis, although it was not mentioned. America’s ties to NATO and the EU emerged in discussions with Macron, Merkel, and Johnson.
Biden and Macron also discussed Iran’s nuclear program. No details were available, but the French president had gone to great lengths to persuade Trump not to abandon the Iran deal, which he did.
Biden’s vision statement had indicated the possibility of resurrecting the deal. “If Tehran complies with the agreement again, President Biden would re-enter the agreement, using tough diplomacy and the support of our allies to strengthen and extend it, while more effectively rejecting Iran’s other destabilizing activities,” he had. saying. .
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