President Joe Biden has surprised European allies by spurring Western unity against China, applying subtle pressure to advance priorities once associated with Donald Trump’s confrontational demeanor.
Biden’s rhetorical contrast with Trump tempted European officials to perceive a “magic force” in his presidency, heralding an end to the controversies that brought intense acrimony to the surface of the transatlantic alliance. That promised change in tone has allowed Biden’s team to pursue many of the same policies that then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo favored, but in a manner that compensates for the difficulties of Trump’s idiosyncratic policy preferences and personality.
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