Biden says he's leaving US stronger in foreign policy farewell

Jenny Leonard and Skylar Woodhouse, Bloomberg News on Jan 13, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden touted his foreign policy accomplishments in a speech aimed at burnishing his legacy before he departs office next week, arguing that his actions over the last four years leave the United States in a stronger position for President-elect Donald Trump.

“Today I can report to the American people — our sources of national power are far stronger than they were when we took office,” Biden said at the State Department on Monday. “We’ve reinvigorated people’s faith in the United States as a true, true partner.”

The speech covered Biden administration policy in the Middle East, toward China and in Europe. So far, the U.S. hasn’t been able to pin down a ceasefire to halt the fighting between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, though Biden said the two sides are “on the brink” of reaching a deal. Earlier Monday, Israel and its mediators, including the U.S., have submitted a proposal to Hamas and are awaiting sign-off.

Trump has said a deal to free hostages in Gaza should get done before his inauguration — and has threatened that if not, “all hell will break loose.”

Biden briefly addressed what critics call one of his biggest foreign policy failures: the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thirteen U.S. troops were killed amid the withdrawal, and Biden said he grieves for their deaths.

“There is nothing our adversaries and competitors like Russia and China would have liked more than seeing us continue to be tied down in Afghanistan for another decade,” he said. “For all those reasons, ending the war was the right thing to do, and I believe history will reflect that.”

Biden also reflected on the competition with China, saying “we expect China and everyone to abide by the international rules. We imposed target tariffs in sectors like steel and semiconductors rather than across-the-board tariffs.” Trump has threatened broad tariffs on China as high as 60%.

On climate change, he said “some in the incoming administration” are “dead wrong” when they say that it’s not real. He said the “clean energy transition is already happening” and the U.S. “must win that contest.”

Biden boasted of the expansion of the NATO military alliance and the coalition he’s kept together to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“Today, I can report to the American people, our alliances are stronger than they’ve been in decades,” Biden said. “NATO is more capable than it’s ever been, and many more of our allies are paying their fair share.”

The incoming Trump team has already signaled it’s ready to depart from a number of policies that Biden highlighted in his address.

It’s not clear how much longer and to what extent the U.S. will continue supporting Ukraine, and Trump has demanded that all members of the NATO military alliance increase their defense spending.