President Joe Biden intends to use this month’s G-7 summit as an opportunity to prove that the United States is “capable” of leading the international community following former President Donald Trump’s term in office.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan, answering a question from the Grio’s April Ryan about how Biden will address the “scars” Trump’s policies and rhetoric left, stated that “actions speak louder than words.”
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Sullivan did not specifically name Trump in his response but claimed the “record [Biden has] built up over the course of the first four months” in office is a “foundation” to “show the rest of the world that the United States has the power and purpose to be able to deliver as the world’s leading democracy.”
However, he did cite Biden’s role in “turning the corner on the pandemic, showing that the United States is capable of making the dramatic investments that will pull us up and out of this economic recovery and help power global growth, and showing the world that we are ultimately capable of making the investments in R&D and infrastructure, innovation, and workforce.”
“What President Biden can do is show the rest of the world what America is capable of,” he added later in the briefing. “If we can lead the world in ending the COVID-19 pandemic more rapidly. If the growth we are powering for the American people here at home helps power a global economic recovery. If we can help rally, as the president did with his Climate Leaders Summit action, on climate on the climate crisis, so that we actually beat this thing.”
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“Ultimately, that is going to be the best way for people to say the United States can do this, they can deliver, and we will stand up and stand behind them,” Sullivan said. “That is the approach that he has taken from the first day he’s been in office. That’s the message he’s going to carry into these meetings.”
Biden’s trip begins Wednesday and features stops in the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Switzerland. His time in Geneva will center on a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Sullivan called a necessity for dealing with Putin’s specific leadership style.
He brushed off criticism at Monday’s briefing that scheduling the sit-down without securing commitments from Moscow is a “reward” for recent malign activity committed by both the Russian government and Russian nationals.
“We view it as a vital part of protecting America’s interests and America’s values,” Sullivan stated.
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You can watch Monday’s entire White House press briefing below.
