President-elect Joe Biden says his transition teams “found obstructions” to President Trump’s political leadership in the Department of Defense and the Office of Administration and Budget.
And the president-elect accuses that “many of the agencies that are critical to our security have done enormous damage” during the Trump administration.
BIDEN TRANSITION AND PENTAGON SPAR ON ‘PAUSE’ IN TRANSITION BRIEFINGS
Speaking on Monday, before and after he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris participated in a virtual meeting with members of their national security and foreign policy review team, Biden also pointed to the “independent” approach of Trump for international affairs and promised to restore “American leadership” worldwide.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with members of his national security and foreign policy review teams at The Queen Theater, Monday, December 28, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
Looking at the Trump administration while speaking in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., Biden emphasized that “we encountered obstacles of political leadership in the Department of Defense and the Office of Administration and Budget”.
The president-elect emphasized that “at the moment, we are simply not getting all the information we need from the outgoing government in the main areas of national security. In my opinion, it is nothing short of irresponsible.”
Biden also argued that “the truth is that many of the agencies essential to our security have done enormous damage. Many of them have been left without staff, capacity and morale.”
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The president-elect warned that “all of this makes it more difficult for our government to protect the American people, to defend our vital interests, in a world where threats are constantly evolving and our adversaries are constantly adapting.”
He stressed that “rebuilding the complete set of our foreign policy and national security instruments is a key challenge that Vice President-elect Harris and I will face when taking office.”
Trump, during his four years at the White House, targeted some of the country’s oldest alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and withdrew the country from major international agreements and organizations like the Paris Agreement on Climate Change , the Nuclear Agreement with Iran and the World Health Organization.
During his candidacy for the White House, Biden repeatedly pledged, if elected, to end Trump’s “America First” policies, rebuild international alliances and pacts and restore America’s reputation on the global stage.
Biden argued that the country’s security was “threatened by an autonomous approach by this government”, adding that “we have seen a lot of damage to America’s global leadership”.
Saying that “the truth is that the challenges we face today cannot be solved by any country acting alone”, the president-elect called for “cooperation with our allies and partners”.
Biden emphasized that he would work to restore “American leadership on a global stage”, emphasizing that “we must and will do”.
But he acknowledged that “we will have to regain the confidence of a world that has started to find ways to work around us or without us”.
Among those Biden and Harris met with were National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Designated Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin (retired), Designated Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Designated Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Secretary designated Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, United Nations designated ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and Nancy McEldowney, National Security Adviser to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
NASHVILLE BOMBING TOLD NEIGHBOR ‘THE WORLD WILL NEVER FORGET’
Biden led his comments with comments about the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, Tennessee, which was caused by the explosion of a recreational vehicle.
The explosion injured at least 8 people and damaged more than 40 buildings in the central district of the city.
Biden thanked the authorities “who took action early” on Christmas morning.
And he pointed out that “this bombing is a reminder of the destructive power that an individual or small group can muster and the need for continuous surveillance across the border.”