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Isa Soares Tonight
Joe Biden Gives Final Speech of Political Career at the State Department; Crews Race to Contain Los Angeles Fires Ahead of More High Winds. Biden Gives Last Foreign Policy Speech as President. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired January 13, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a warm welcome, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden will give one of
his final speeches of his long political career, centering on his foreign policy accomplishments. We've seen two wars with stronger U.S. alliances
and weaker U.S. rivals.
Any moment now, President Joe Biden is set to give his take on his foreign policy accomplishments during his four years in office. You are looking at
live images there, of course, from Washington D.C., as soon as that gets underway, we'll bring it to you, that's at the U.S. State Department.
The President is set to deliver one of his final speeches as America's 46th President. And we are keeping an eye, as you can see there -- we see some
heads already sitting down as they await to hear from the President. There will -- that's where President Biden will deliver his remarks.
And the President is expected to focus on his role in repairing global alliances, restoring U.S. credibility following four years of Donald
Trump's America first agenda. We'll bring you, of course, his speech live when it happens, when it gets underway. President Biden has only one week
left until America ushers in a new political era.
Joining us now to discuss, CNN's Kevin Liptak, who is live at the White House, and apologies if I have to interrupt in advance as we keep an eye on
that -- on that live -- those live images. But give us a sense, Kevin, what we're likely to hear from the President here.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and I'll let you know, Isa, the President just arrived at the State Department in the last couple
of minutes. So, we expect this speech to be getting underway here shortly. But what we're hearing from officials, including from the National Security
adviser, Jake Sullivan, who just spoke within the last hour, the President really trying to make the case for his one term presidency as a
transformational presidency when it comes to foreign policy.
President Biden will argue essentially that the world he is handing off to Donald Trump is more stable and more secure than the world he inherited
from Trump four years ago. And to make his case, he'll talk about these various issues, whether it's Ukraine and bolstering American alliances and
bolstering and expanding NATO to talking about China, to increasing the U.S.' competition with China and bolstering alliances in Asia and the
Middle East.
He'll talk about these ongoing hostage negotiations, which American officials do say appear to be on the brink of success after months and
months of these painstaking efforts to try and secure a ceasefire for hostages deal. So, the President will talk about all of these issues in
what is essentially a capstone speech, not just to the last four years of his presidency, but to what has been really a 50-year long career in
Washington.
Foreign policy has always been at the center of President Biden's career. His aides have called it his first love. He was the chair of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee decades ago. And so, this will be kind of a moment for him to reflect on that long career, and it will be interesting
to me to hear whether the President acknowledges any regrets over the last four years, whether the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, he'll talk
about that according to Sullivan.
He'll make the mention that the U.S. ended its longest war, that he, as President, did not send American troops to conflict. But of course, that
was kind of the origin for a lot of people's distrust in the Biden administration. And when you look at the last four years, it's hard to
ignore the reality that the world appears on fire in a way it did not appear when President Biden came into office.
So, there are these kind of dueling realities for the President, certainly politically, that he'll have to confront in the speech. And so, it will be
an interesting sort of moment for him to reflect on this moment in time.
SOARES: Yes, war on fire, you know, literally and figuratively, that is for sure. But you know, we're hearing that, you know, Biden from -- Biden
officials in particular, that a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza could be finalized in the coming potentially days, hours, who knows? We've been here
before, and I'm hearing from my team as well, Kevin, that there are dozens of protesters outside the State Department chanting war criminals.
[14:05:00]
So, put that into context, and the shadow of his policy when it comes to Gaza and the Middle East.
LIPTAK: Yes, and that really encapsulates the place that the President has been for the duration of the conflict in Gaza. He has been under pressure
from progressives in his own party to take a harder line on Israel, on its war tactics in Gaza, of course, tens of thousands of Gazans have been left
dead by this conflict.
But the President, politically, but also sort of emotionally his own viewpoint, was never really able to apply a lot of pressure on Israel in a
meaningful way to change its tact there. But at the same time, he has been pushing towards this ceasefire and hostage deal -- and we have been here,
you know, so many times over the last several months where it does appear that the two sides are getting closer together, where it does appear that
they're closer to a deal, only to see it collapse at the last minute.
And when we heard from Jake Sullivan earlier today, he was frank that this has been sort of a loosey in the football situation, where time and time
again, they seem to have been approaching an agreement only to see it disappear at the last minute. What they do say is that this time does feel
different, that the two sides have broached some of the differences on -- in terms of how many hostages will be released, who will be released, how
exactly they will come out of Gaza or wherever they're being held?
And so, there is real sort of genuine optimism within the administration that this moment could be different. And one thing that's -- I think very
notable is that the Biden administration is working very closely with the incoming Trump administration to try and ensure that this deal is something
that all sides can kind of agree on.
So, the President's envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, has been meeting in Doha with all sides of this agreement, but he's been joined by
President Trump's incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to try and make sure that this is a deal that the U.S. can support now, but also
support in a week when President Trump is inaugurated and comes into office.
And so, there is optimism, and I do think that the President probably will have hoped that this deal could have been brokered by the time he was
delivering this very speech. But certainly --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: There is a lot of hope, and I think a lot of optimism by the Biden administration that this can be secured before he leaves office in one
week's time.
SOARES: Yes, and as you're talking, we are hearing from our Jeremy Diamond, who says that Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during the
first phase of the ceasefire, emerging ceasefire agreement, that's being finalized by negotiators in Doha. And Israel believes that most of the 33
hostages are alive.
But there's a lot we still don't know at this point. Do we have a sense -- and you touched on this here, the negotiations, the talks that we've been
having from both sides, from the Trump camp as well as from the Biden camp. And it's quite unique to be in a position to see both sides working towards
this. But speak to the Trump factor here, because he had very strong words to Hamas, to the Israelis about wanting a deal.
LIPTAK: Yes, and remember, he has said that he would be able to resolve this conflict almost immediately upon coming into office. I think Trump
would probably prefer the conflict to already be resolved in some ways --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: Before he comes into office. And so, that's one of the reasons why his envoy, Steve Witkoff, at the direction of former President Trump, is
working hand-in-hand to try and get this deal secured. You know, I think for the Trump administration, this is a problem that they knew that they
were going to have to confront as soon as they came in.
And certainly, Trump, just in the last several days, said that there would be hell to pay if Hamas doesn't come to an agreement on this deal, whether
that had any role in applying pressure on that organization to come to an agreement to this deal, I think remains to be seen. But I think for the --
for the Biden folks, they do see this as part of their legacy.
If they are able to come up with a ceasefire agreement for Biden, that would be a real capstone moment on what has been such a tortured process
for him over the last, you know, year-and-a-half or so as this conflict progressed. He has tried and failed to put pressure on the Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, to ease off in some ways on his tactics in Gaza.
If this deal comes to fruition, it would be some vindication of a conflict that really had no bright side for the President in a lot of ways. And so,
I think it will be important to see how this progresses over the next several days. When we heard from --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: Jake Sullivan today, it was by far the most optimistic that we have ever heard from him at the podium. But as he was very quick to
acknowledge, the President has thought that this has been in the final stages before, only to see it --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: Ended, this time does seem different. But no official in the White House is sort of counting their chickens before they see this sort of
signed and dated.
SOARES: Yes, this, we have been here before, so, cautious optimism from both sides at this point. Kevin Liptak, appreciate you being with us,
talking us through some of the points that we are likely to hear from President Biden when his speech does get underway.
[14:10:00]
You're looking at live pictures there from the State Department. We'll keep our ears and our eyes on that, peeled on that as soon as there are any more
-- we see the President, of course, we will bring that to you. I do want to stay, though, in the meantime, in the United States, because winds are
ramping up in southern California at this hour, and with them brings new danger to an area that's already suffered these severe, catastrophic
losses.
Those high winds will present another major challenge for weary firefighters. We know at least, 24 people have died and dozens are still
missing. And officials warn the death toll is unfortunately likely to rise. More than 92,000 people remain under evacuation orders, fires have burned
an area larger than the city of Paris. Think about that. Survivors are trying to remain hopeful. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're doing well, considering. But yes, lots of tears, anger, we're going through the stages of grief. There's no doubt
about it. We'll get through it. We've gotten through challenges before. This just feels like the biggest thing that's ever happened to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Despite some gains made by fire crews over the weekend, officials say the worst may not be over unfortunately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY MARRONE, FIRE CHIEF, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: Severe fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. Please, be assured that all
fire departments and all law enforcement agencies in the area will be prepared. The anticipated winds, combined with low humidity and low fuel
moistures, will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical.
I ask all Los Angeles County residents in wildfire-prone areas to understand that the necessary public safety power shut-offs are important
for our collective safety in preventing the next wildfire natural disaster.
ROBERT LUNA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF: In the Altadena area, we are hearing our community loud and clear, and we want to get you in there as
soon as possible. But I want to reiterate what is holding us up. This is very important. We are still -- for the Altadena area, we are in the third
day of grid searching.
It is a very grim task and we -- unfortunately, every day, we're doing this, we're running across the remains of individual community members.
That is not easy work, very sad to report, and I believe that work is not only going to continue, but I believe we'll continue to find remains. So,
please be patient with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more now from our Veronica Manuel(ph) is tracking the Eaton Fire from Altadena. And Veronica, we are waiting to hear from
President Biden -- so apologies if I have to interrupt in advance. But we are hearing there from Altadena, really telling people to be patient, of
course, I know many want to go back home, return to what is left of their homes.
Just give us a sense of what you are seeing as we wait for the next few days, which appear a bit ominous with this wind expected to pick up.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Most definitely. They are definitely saying authorities are definitely telling people, do not let your guard
down. They are telling millions actually from all the way from Ventura, all the way down to San Diego, which is essentially all of southern California,
to be ready to evacuate once again because of this incoming wind event.
Here in Altadena, what's happened is really we're seeing investigators come through and take and assess the damage. If you see this house here, has a
little pink tag, that means that a firefighter has come through here and assessed the damage there way in the back there, but they're going lot by
lot just to -- take a look at the percentage of damage of each house and recording all of that down, and that's part of all of their calculations as
they look to see how much damage there is really by the numbers.
When you're here in person, it is just unimaginable to see the scope, home after home after home destroyed with nothing left, but really chimneys, the
outlines of cars. And what is so just difficult about these fires is that some of these homes and most -- all of them have burned. But then you'll
also see that there are some homes still standing, and that's just because of the turbulent nature of those winds.
Here we have crews, electrical crews, they're working to restore some of the power just to make it safe for the people who do have homes to return
to, that when they do come back, they will have power -- but I was just talking to one of the linemen and he said, unfortunately, there's just not
going to be a lot of power to give to many homes because there's just not a whole lot left here.
So, there's been a long line of people wanting to get inside, but they're telling people it is not safe for the reasons that we heard. Not only are
they still looking for bodies in the rubble, but there's toxic ash in the air.
[14:15:00]
There are downed power lines. There's also gas lines that they're trying to make sure is safe. So, the earliest possible that people could maybe get in
is this Thursday to see if their home is still standing, and if there's anything left to salvage. Isa?
SOARES: And in the meantime, there are also questions about how this fire started, right? So, what are you hearing on that front?
MIRACLE: That's right. Officially, investigators are saying that all of the causes of this fire and the Palisades Fire still under investigation.
They have not put out an official word yet. But according to the L.A. times, there's an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon that's
going to be way back there.
You can see some of the hillsides behind me that is cordoned off right now. Investigators are looking at it. The media cannot go in, but investigators
are in there. Now, Southern California Edison has put out a statement saying that all of their electrical equipment in Eaton Canyon was working
properly and is not the cause of a fire.
But according to the "L.A. Times", there's an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon that could be the possible origin site of this fire. Isa?
SOARES: Veronica Miracle with the very latest there, appreciate it, thank you, Veronica. And as we mentioned earlier, the winds are picking up,
threatening to undo really the progress that has been made so far. Allison Chinchar is tracking this for us. Allison.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Isa. The event really begins to ramp up today and peaks Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. You
have the wind advisories, that's the orange color you see here where those winds could be gusting 50 to 55 miles per hour. And that is in effect for
today. Then we start to see this area here, the dark red, that begins to take effect at 4:00 a.m. local time Tuesday.
That's the high wind warning, where they could be seeing the wind gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour. Now, when you take into account not just the wind,
but also the very low humidity, that's what's contributing to this red flag warning you see here. And that covers a wide area. Now, even within that
red flag warning, you have these three black circles.
Those are labeled as particularly dangerous situations by the National Weather Service. Just kind of emphasizing how extreme those conditions are
going to be in those areas. Now, all three of the fires are located within the red flag warning, but you have the Hurst Fire specifically that is
located within one of those particularly dangerous situations.
And it's because they expect these winds to really start to ramp up here throughout the day today, and will just continue through Tuesday and
Wednesday. Now, the good news is with these three fires, firefighters were able to make significant improvements in the containment numbers, and a lot
of the fires over the weekend, particularly on Saturday when they had those winds relatively low.
It gave them an advantage. But the other concern here too, is not just the winds, but it's also how dry the ground is. That dry vegetation is fuel for
the fires and allows them to spread so quickly. When you go back to October 1st, that is the start of what we refer to as the water year.
The L.A. area has only had 3/100 of an inch of rain since that point. They normally would have well over 4.5 inches of rain by this time, or at least
they should. But especially in January, January is actually the second wettest month of the year on average for this area, and they've had no
measurable rain so far.
When you go back a year, this is a look at January 9th of 2024, no part of California was in a drought. Now, fast forward to this year, the tan color,
that's a moderate drought, the orange color, severe drought. So, you can see that we have started to really bring up those drought conditions, and
that has led to the very dry ground.
What this area really desperately needs is the chance for rain. And unfortunately, when you look at the next seven days, there is no chance of
rain on the forecast. The only bit of good news is we will finally start to see humidity levels creep back up toward the end of the week.
SOARES: Thank you very much, Allison. As expected, President Biden is about to speak at the U.S. State Department. Large applause there for him.
Let's listen in as we see Secretary Blinken alongside him. This is his foreign policy address. Let's take a moment to listen.
(APPLAUSE)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: Good afternoon! If I didn't say anything, this would go on all afternoon --
(LAUGHTER)
BLINKEN: For good reason. Mr. President, it is an honor to welcome you back to the State Department. On day one of this administration, you've
shared a few things with me. You told me something that we long discussed reminded me, that American engagement, American leadership is essential. If
we're not engaged, if we're not leading, you said someone else is likely to be doing it, and probably not in a way that advances our interests or
values.
[14:20:00]
Or maybe no one is doing it. And then we're likely to have a vacuum filled with bad things before it's filled with good things. But the other thing
you told me, Mr. President, was that there's a greater premium than ever before on finding ways to cooperate, to coordinate, to work with other
countries if we're going to get done what we need to get done for the American people.
And so, you instructed me, you instructed all of us to get out there to rebuild, to rejuvenate, even to re-imagine our alliances and partnerships.
And I remember what you told me then. You said, we don't know when this is going to make a difference, when we're going to need these friendships,
these partnerships, but someday, someway, somewhere, they're going to be critical for advancing the national interest.
And that's exactly what the men and women of this department have done. And we've been able to carry out that charge for two reasons. First, the people
you see before you and so many others who are out in the field, our embassies and consulates, you said when you came here four years ago, that
the leadership of diplomats of every strike doing the daily work of government is essential, and they proved it.
That daily work has become nightly work, 24/7, seven days a week, hammering out agreements, jumping into action in crisis, creating opportunities for
our citizens around the world, producing expert advice for you and your team at the White House. Everyone here knows this work can be tough, it's
often not very glamorous, but it makes us stronger.
It makes the world a better place, and we simply couldn't do it without the extraordinary men and women that you have before us, as well as our
remarkable partners in government, starting with the great White House team led by Jake Sullivan, my friends and colleagues from across the
administration, Secretary of Defense, Samantha Power at USAID, Secretary of the Treasury, Commerce, and so on.
All of these partnerships that we built and built with their teams have made a difference. So, to all of my colleagues, thank you. Thank you for
your friendship. Thank you for your partnership. There's one other reason that we've been able to re-engage and rejuvenate our diplomacy, Mr.
President, that's you.
You have never wavered in the conviction that when America leads, when America engages, there is little we cannot accomplish, and that this
country remains a force for good, a force for progress around the world. Your unshakable belief in the promise of America has inspired me for more
than 20 years. It's inspired so many people in this department and around the world.
Simply put, it's been the privilege of my life-time to work for you, to work with you, to work with this extraordinary team that you assembled. And
it's the honor of a life-time to be able to introduce one more time, the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERS)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, please, thank you. Thank you, thank
you, thank you. It's good to be back at the State Department. Tony, if I may start by saying this, you're one of the finest men I've ever known in
any undertaking for one important reason you have.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: You're not only brilliant, you have an incredible character. You have character. You have more integrity than almost anybody I know. Thank
you for always sticking with me. I appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Folks, I'm grateful for his counsel and his friendship as well, but also, I want to thank the members of my cabinet and the members of the
Congress which are here today and to all, all our diplomats and development experts, service members, Intelligence professionals, many of the
achievements we're going to discuss today were the result of your hard work. And that's not hyperbole. It's true.
[14:25:00]
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for your extraordinary service. And I come here to the State Department to report on the American -- to the
American people, on the progress we've made in the last four years on our foreign policy and our presidency. I've said many times, we're at an
inflection point.
The post-cold war period is over. A new era has begun. In these four years, we faced crises that we've been tested. We've come through those tests
stronger in my view than we entered those tests. This is a fierce competition underway. The future of the global economy, technology, human
values and so much else right now, in my view, thanks to our administration, the United States is winning the worldwide competition.
Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to
war to make these things happen. During my presidency, I've increased America's power at every dimension. We've increased our diplomatic power,
creating more allies the United States has ever had in the history of our nation.
We've increased our military power, making the most significant investments in the defense industrial base in decades. We've increased the technology
power, taking the lead in artificial intelligence and other technologies of the future. And we've increased the economic power, building the most
dynamic economy in the world from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down.
In short, Kamala and I took office, our nation had become stronger at home, are stronger in the world. And now, America is more capable, and I would
argue, better prepared than we've been in a long time. While our competitors and adversaries are facing stiff headwinds, we have the wind at
our back because of all of you.
This is what we're heading into. And over the next administration, that's what we're handing it to. Today, I want to lay out what we've done, the
opportunities we've created for America and those opportunities going forward. Today, I can report to the American people, our sources of
national power are far stronger than they were when we took office.
Our economy is booming, although there's more work to do. Our technology, from artificial intelligence to biotech, quantum to advance semiconductors,
they're the envy of the world. And we have made the most significant investments in America in the American workers since the new deal to
rebuild our roads and bridges, our ports and airports, clean water systems, affordable high speed internet, and so much more to build American
manufacturing, to make advanced semiconductors, which we invented here at home.
We made the largest investment in climate and clean energy ever anywhere on earth in the history of the world, spurring nearly $500 billion in private
sector investment. We've also significantly strengthened the defense industrial base, investing almost $1.3 trillion in procurement and research
and development, in real dollars, that's more than America did in any four- year period during the cold war.
It's going to ensure that we're fully equipped to fight and win wars, which is also the best way to deter wars in the first place. Today, I can report
to the American people, our alliances are stronger than they've been in decades. NATO is more capable than it's ever been, and many more of our
allies are paying their fair share.
Before I took office, nine NATO allies were spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, now, 23 are spending 2 percent. Look at the Indo-Pacific. We've
made partnerships stronger and created new partnerships to challenge China's aggressive behavior and to rebalance power in the region.
We did it what few thought was possible to build the first ever trilateral partnership between the United States, Japan and South Korea. Then another
among the United States, Japan and the Philippines. Drawing closer our Pacific allies to defend our shared security and prosperity, we brokered a
defense pact known as AUKUS among the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific allies as only
America is able to do.
And we've taken the QUAD to the next level. United States, Japan, Austria - - Australia and India. When we had that first meeting, and I was dumbfounded when they all called and said, can we do this at your house?
You think I'm kidding? My wife said, no problem. It was during the UME. And we thought we're going to do it in New York, but they wanted to do it in
Delaware. I said, why? So, we can know then people know we're really friends.
Our democracy with vibrant economies working closely. Security, supply chains, technology, and so much more. In the Red Sea, we brought together
more than 20 countries to protect civilian ships from attack by the Houthis, defending freedom of navigation, one of the world's busiest
waterways.
And we have strengthened partnerships all across the Americas. Defending democracy, targeting corruption, addressing migration, increasing
prosperity and protecting Amazon Rainforest, which captures billions of tons, billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year. Overall,
we've reinvigorated people's faith in the United States as a true, true partner.
Today I can report to the American people, our adversaries are weaker than we were when we came into this job four years ago. Just consider Russia.
When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought he'd conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. The truth is, since that war began, I'm the only one that stood in
the center of Kyiv, not him. Putin never has. Think about it.
It was a long train ride, but I'm the only commander in chief to visit a war zone not controlled by U.S. forces. We helped Ukrainians stop Putin.
And now, nearly three years later, Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic objectives. He has failed thus far to subjugate Ukraine. Failed
to break the unity of NATO. And failed to make large territorial gains.
There's more to do, we can't walk away. We rallied 15 nations to stand with Ukraine. Not just in Europe, for the first time in Asia as well. Because
those countries in Asia know what happens in Ukraine matters to them as well?
We delivered air interceptors. Massive numbers of munitions, inactive, relentless, unprecedented sanctions to keep Ukraine in the fight. And now,
Russia is struggling to replace what they are losing on the battlefield in terms of military equipment and fighters. And the ruble is under enormous
pressure.
As I saw it, when Putin launched his invasion, I had two jobs. One, to rally the world to defend Ukraine, and the other is to avoid war between
two nuclear powers. We did both those things. Today, Ukraine is still free, independent country with the potential, potential for a bright future. And
we laid the foundation for the next administration so they can protect the bright future of the Ukrainian people.
And now, look at Iran. Did you ever think we'd be where we are with Iran at this moment? After those despicable attacks by Hamas on October the 7th,
Iran directly attacked Israel twice with hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. And twice they failed because the United States organized a
coalition of countries to stop them and order U.S. aircraft to come to the defense of Israel.
Now, Iran's air defenses are in shambles. Their main proxy, Hezbollah, is badly wounded. And as we tested Iran's willingness to revive the nuclear
deal, we kept the pressure with sanctions. Now, Iran's economy is in desperate straits. All told, Iran is weaker than it has been in decades.
And if you want more evidence of a seriously weakened Iran and Russia, just take a look at Syria. President Assad was both countries closest ally in
the Middle East, neither, neither could keep him in power, quite frankly, neither really tried very hard.
Now, I cannot claim credit for every factor that led to Iran and Russia growing weaker in the past four years. They did plenty of damage all by
themselves, but Israel did plenty of damage to Iran and its proxies. But there's no question, our actions contributed significantly, and now major
authoritarian states are aligning more closely with one another. Iran, Russia, China, North Korea. But that's more out of weakness than out of
strength.
[14:35:00]
So, as a new administration begins, the United States is in a fundamentally stronger position with respect to these countries than we were four years
ago.
Today, I can report to the American people, we're in a better strategic position in the long-term competition with China than we were when I took
office.
You all recall, and the experts believe we're predicting, it was inevitable that China's economy would surpass ours. According to many predictions,
that would happen by the year 2030 or shortly thereafter. But we in this room said no. If we make the investments in ourselves and we protect our
workers and technologies, that will not happen. Now, according to the latest predictions on China's current course, they will never surpass us,
period.
I met one on one with President Xi in consequential summits. He and I have always been direct and straightforward with each other. I made it clear we
expect China and everyone to abide by the international rules. And so, we stood up against unfair trade practices, taking action when China dumped
subsidized goods, incredibly subsidized, on our markets to undercut our workers. We impose target tariffs in critical sectors like cars, steel, and
semiconductors rather than across the board tariffs.
We impose historic export controls on investments restrictions to ensure that China cannot use the most advanced technology and sensitive data
against us. Critically, we enlisted our allies and partners to join us. Building more convergence among our allies on a shared approach to China
than ever existed, and showing that it's more effective to deal with China alongside of partners rather than going it alone.
But even while we compete vigorously, we've managed our relationship with China responsibly, so it's never tipped over into conflict. We've created
lines of communication between President Xi and myself and between the leaders of our militaries to avoid misunderstanding. We found ways to work
with each other, to address climate change, to reduce the flow of fentanyl in the United States, which, by the way, overdose deaths are coming down
across our nation. And in my administration, we've seized more fentanyl at our border in two years than the previous five years combined.
Today, I can also report to the American people, for the first president in decades, who's not leading a war in Afghanistan to a successor, but we've
got bin Laden during the Obama-Biden administration, the primary objective of war had been accomplished. And I believe that going forward, the primary
threat of al Qaeda would no longer be emanating from Afghanistan, but from elsewhere. And so, we not need to station a sizable number of American
forces in Afghanistan.
So, when I took office, I had a choice. Ultimately, I saw no reason to keep thousands of servicemen in Afghanistan. I think I have my schedule with me,
and I keep on my -- I don't here. I don't have it. But I keep on the back of my card the actual number of dead and wounded that occurred in our
longest war to remind myself. We keep spending hundreds of millions of dollars a day, we're no longer doing that.
In my view, it was time to end the war and bring our troops home, and we did. I commend the courage of all those who served in Afghanistan. We
grieve all 2,461 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the longest war in American history. And I grieve those brave service members whose
lives were lost during the withdrawal. We also thank those inside and outside of government who have done so much to help thousands of Afghan
families resettle in the United States.
Remember, critics said if we entered the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign directed terrorism out of a
safe haven in Afghanistan. Neither has occurred. Neither has occurred. Our alliance has stayed strong.
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We've used over the rising capabilities of striking Afghanistan and elsewhere when we had to, for instance, eliminating Zawahiri, the leader of
al Qaeda, who helped orchestrate the September 11th attacks. And we did it without putting more American boots on the ground. And by ending the war,
we've been able to focus our energy and resources on more urgent challenges.
There is nothing -- I can tell you from my conversations with both Xi and Putin, 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. For all those reasons, ending the war was
the right thing to do, and I believe history will reflect that.
And from the moment I entered office, I also worked to free as many Americans as possible, being held hostage and wrongfully detained overseas.
We brought home more than 75 Americans by last count. In some cases, it took months, even years of effort, like the prisoner swap with Russia over
the past summer.
Feat of diplomacy involving all many of you and involving multiple countries who joined complex negotiations at our request. Another example
of the power of our alliances. If we did not have these relationships, those women and women would likely still be in prison.
And finally, I can report to the American people that we restored our leadership in a range of other generational priorities.
When I took office, we were no longer part of the International Climate Agreement. We announced on day one that we would rejoin the Paris Accord.
Rejoin. And we've led by example. We've conserved hundreds of millions of acres, hundreds of millions of acres of land and water more than any
president in American history. Making investments in clean energy and convincing other nations to join us.
Thanks to our efforts, the world has reached the goal of investing $100 billion every year in public and private funds, to reduce greenhouse
emissions, to drive down the cost of clean energy, to help developing nations adapt to climate change.
Our administration has launched a transformative initiative to build high impact infrastructure in developing nations. It's called PGI. You all know
that better than anyone. This is our alternative to what China offers with this massive project across Africa and beyond. But their approach features
no workers' rights, no environmental protections, unmanageable debt, shoddy construction, all in exchange for military access to ports and other
exploitative purposes.
By contrast, we've leveraged $600 billion to unleash the private sector to build an infrastructure in order to grow economies and combat climate
change. As an example, I was recently in Angola to see a major project being built with the help of American public funding, which brought in even
more private investment.
We're building the first ever transcontinental railroad across Africa. It will significantly improve the economies of the region. It will help
farmers transport crops in new global markets. It will transport critical minerals that would -- that needs -- that are needed for electric vehicles
and semiconductors. Trying to use to control the supply chains and these materials, but not for long.
I make no mistake, there's serious challenges that the United States must continue to deal with, in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in the Indo-Pacific.
We must keep the pressure on the Houthis who are attacking ships in the Red Sea, launching missiles at Israel and firing and American forces. We must
deter North Korea as they rattled their saber and draw closer to Russia.
A new challenge will certainly emerge in the months and years ahead. But even so, it's clear my administration is leaving the next administration
with a very strong hand to play, and we're leaving them an America with more friends and stronger alliances whose adversaries are weaker and under
pressure, an America that once again is leading, uniting countries, setting the agenda, bringing others together behind our plans and visions.
An America which is no longer at war, which has made historic investments in American workers, American energies, and many American factories,
generating the strongest economy in the world, which is now in a much better position. to win the future against any competitor.
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These wins are not partisan, they're American. They benefit all Americans and reflect America's endless capacity for leadership and reinvention.
Look, folks, the United States should take full advantage of our diplomatic and geopolitical opportunities we've created, to keep bringing countries
together to deal with challenges posed by China, to make sure Putin's war ends in a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, and to capitalize on a new
moment for a more stable, integrated Middle East.
To do that, the next administration must make sure the fall of Assad does not lead to the resurgence of ISIS in Syria and across the region. It must
carry forward the commitment that America will never, never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. And the war between Israel and Hamas are in the
brink of a proposal that I laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition.
I have learned many years of public service to never, never, never ever give up. So, I spoke to the prime minister of Israel yesterday. I spoke to
Emir of Qatar today. I look forward to speaking with President Sisi soon. We're pressing hard to close this.
The deal we have in structure would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge
humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who've suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.
They've been through hell. So, many innocent people have been killed. So, many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace and
the right to determine their own futures. Israel deserves peace and real security, and the hostages and their families deserve to be reunited. And
so, we're working urgently to close this deal.
And as we deal with immediate challenges, in my view, we have to look to the future. I urge the next administration to carry forward two issues that
have been central to my presence and would shape the future, in my view.
On artificial intelligence, we are the lead and we must stay in the lead. We must not offshore artificial intelligence as he once did with computer
chips and other critical technologies. A.I. has the power to reshape economies, governments, national security, entire societies, and it must be
the United States and our closest allies that lead the way to ensure people's rights are respected and their safety is protected and their data
is secure.
And likewise, clean energy transition will race ahead in the years to come. I know some incoming administration -- some in the incoming administration,
are skeptical about the need for clean energy. They don't even believe climate change is real. I think they come from a different century. They're
wrong. They are dead wrong. It's the single greatest existential threat to humanity.
Clean energy transition is already happening. China is trying to dominate the clean energy, manufacturing critical materials supply chains. They want
to capture the market of the future and create new dependencies. The United States must win that contest and we will shape the global economy and the
planet for decades to come.
Let me close with this. Like many of you, I've dedicated a significant portion of my career to our nation's foreign policy. As chair of the
Foreign Relations Committee, as a senator, vice president for eight years, and now, president of the United States, I put together one of the most
competent foreign policy teams, I would argue, in American history, sitting in this room and before my eyes.
Throughout my career, the world has gone -- undergone tremendous change, but certain things have always held true, at our best, America leads not
only by the example of our power, but the power of our example.
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The past four years we've used that power, not to go it alone, but instead, to bring countries together to increase shared security and prosperity, to
stand up to aggression, to solve problems through diplomacy wherever possible, and to relentlessly defend democracy, civil rights, and human
rights, because that's who we are. That's who we are.
You heard me say it many times before, we're the only country on Earth founded on an idea. Every other country is founded on geography, religion,
ethnicity, or some other unifying factor. But America was built on idea, on an idea, literally, not figuratively.
That idea was all women and men are created equal. The idea that it has inspired the world for 250 years and counting. We're always reaching to do
better, always looking to the future of our best, always seeking progress for our people and for people everywhere.
It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. Today, I'm optimistic about our future, as optimistic as I've ever been. We just have
to remember who in the hell we are. You heard me to say it many times, we're the United States of America, for God's sake. There is nothing,
nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together and commit to it. Nothing.
So, thank you all for all you've done. I hope many of you are going to be staying in the next administration to keep this moving. May God bless you
all and may God protect our troops. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: President Biden there, the 46th president of the United States being greeted by rapturous applause, and a standing ovation
as he delivers his foreign policy speech in the final days, of course, of his presidency.
President Trump will take over on -- next Monday, in fact. And we was talking about his foreign policy achievements. Let me bring in Fawaz
Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as the author of "What Really Went
Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East." Also joining us is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy magazine, Ravi Agrawal.
Gentlemen, thank you very much for being with us. It was about a 40-minute speech. He covered a lot of ground, everything from the Indo-Pacific to
Ukraine, the Red Sea, Iran, Syria, China. At the end, he mentioned Gaza.
And let me start on that, Fawaz, with you, because he said we're on the brink of a proposal that's coming to fruition, working urgently to close
this deal. And this is something that we have been hearing as well on the ceasefire and hostage deal. What did you make, not just of what we heard on
what his policy has been, foreign policy and what relates in the Middle East, but the likelihood of this coming to fruition here? Because we have
been here before.
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LSE: Well, Isa, forgive me for presenting a contrarian view. Joe Biden will be remembered
as one of the worst American presidents in foreign policy. One of the worst, naive, gullible, morally senile.
If you ask me about the state of the world today, today, it's one of the most dangerous moments in world history since the end of World War II in
1945. Joe Biden has played a major role in bringing China and Russia closer together than ever. We have never seen such loose talks about nuclear wars.
We have now people talking expert in the United States about potential war between China and Russia. You have a war in the heart of Europe. Joe Biden
has played a major role in militarizing the world.
Gaza -- you asked me about Gaza. Joe Biden's legacy, bitter legacy will be Joe Biden. This is Biden's war. He has fagged the war. He has financed the
war. He has sheltered Israel leaders. He never mentioned the fact that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. More than 100,000 have been
injured, 2 million displaced, multiple times. Gaza is no longer.
[14:55:00]
He talks about American values. My American values -- I am an American. My values care about human lives -- life, about dignity, about civility, about
the fact he talks about norms and rules. Yet, Joe Biden has ruptured the rules based international society by allowing massacres and slaughters of
Palestinians.
Even if a ceasefire is reached tomorrow and it might be reached the damage that Joe Biden has done in the Middle East really will last for many, many
decades, not just years.
SOARES: And, Ravi, let's -- I will take your point and pick up from where Fawaz when it comes to Gaza, but I want to broaden out also, because he
talked about Iran, he talked about Syria. He said that American alliances are strong and adversaries are weak. And he also said that -- you know that
the Biden administration is -- he's leaving the Biden -- their administration is leaving Trump with very strong hand to play just points
me to the front page of a foreign policy cover, right? What are we likely to see given what we've just heard from Fawaz in terms of his legacy?
RAVI AGRAWAL, EDITOR IN CHIEF, FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE: His legacy won't be great. I have to confess. I will agree with Fawaz in large part here.
History remembers winners, and Biden hasn't won. He said he's optimistic, as optimistic as he's ever been. Well, his own party is not.
When Biden came to office, he told everyone that America is back. Well, he is the blip now between the Trump years, not the other way around. He
mentioned the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and said, al Qaeda won't emanate from there. Well, the Taliban is in power, and ISIS-K is
regenerating there. ISIS just inspired a deadly attack in New Orleans.
Fawaz very eloquently spoke about the Middle East and Gaza, that a humanitarian situation has been awful. And I think America has lost
enormous amounts of soft power in public opinion globally. But also, at institutions such as the United Nations, there have been real
contradictions in this administration, you know, for example, calling Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman a pariah, but then visiting Riyadh to fist
bumping, calling Russia's Putin a killer, but then not actually giving Ukraine enough to win the war. All of that, I think all of those chickens
are coming home to roost.
Iran's gotten closer to a nuclear bomb, so has North Korea. There were no trade deals. America has become more protectionist.
Now, it's not that there aren't positives, there are. And I can list some of them out. Relations with China have stabilized. He mentioned
semiconductors. The United States did well to restrict Beijing's access to high-end semiconductors. But there's a mismatch here between their lofty
rhetoric and outcomes. And I think that is the reason why many analysts, including Fawaz and others, are as upset as they are.
SOARES: I'm going to have to interrupt because we've run out of time. I could speak to you both for hours on this. Thank you very much for staying
with us. Fawaz and Ravi, thank you very much.
Do stay right here. Newsroom with Rahel Solomon is up next. I'll see you in about an hour or so on Questions of Business.
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