U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday spoke with more foreign leaders, even as President Donald Trump continues to whine over an election he lost.
Biden won the November 3 presidential election with more than 6 million votes over Trump. He also secured 306 electoral college votes, far above the 270 he needed to win the presidency.
On Monday, Biden spoke with more foreign leaders, including the leaders of the European Commission, European Council, Jordan, and NATO.
Below are what they discussed according to readouts released by the Biden team.
The president-elect spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and thanked her for her congratulations. The president-elect expressed his belief that a strong European Union is in the United States’ interest and underscored his commitment to deepen and revitalize the U.S.-EU relationship. He also conveyed his hope that the United States and the European Union could work to harness their shared values and the world’s largest trade and investment relationship to cooperate on common challenges, including containing COVID-19 and building global health security, tackling the threat of climate change, and strengthening democracy. The president-elect also highlighted the importance of U.S.-EU cooperation on issues of mutual concern, including Iran, Belarus, Ukraine and the Western Balkans.
The president-elect spoke with European Council President Charles Michel. The president-elect thanked President Michel for his congratulations and conveyed his desire to deepen and revitalize the U.S.-EU partnership based on shared values and robust economic ties. He expressed his eagerness to work closely with the European Union and its member states to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; ensure a durable and sustainable global economic recovery, and address the climate crisis. The president-elect also underscored his commitment to strengthening democracy at home and abroad, engaging multilaterally, and cooperating on common challenges such as Iran, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Western Balkans.
The president-elect spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The president-elect thanked King Abdullah for his warm congratulations and expressed his personal determination to strengthen the U.S.-Jordanian strategic partnership. He conveyed his appreciation for Jordan’s invaluable role in hosting Syrian and other regional refugees. The president-elect also noted that he looks forward to working closely with King Abdullah on the many interests shared by our countries, including containing COVID-19 and combating climate change; countering terrorism and addressing other regional security challenges; and supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The president-elect spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, whom the president-elect thanked for his congratulations. The president-elect underscored the importance of NATO to U.S. and European security and highlighted the United States’ enduring commitment to NATO – including its bedrock principle of collective defense under Article 5 – and his desire to engage in consultations with Allies on the full range of trans-Atlantic security issues. The president-elect also expressed his desire to work with Secretary General Stoltenberg and Allies to ensure NATO has the strategic orientation and capabilities it needs to strengthen deterrence and to counter new and emerging threats, including climate change and global health security.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.