Vice President Joe Biden on Friday expressed “great confidence” in President-elect Trump’s partner Mike Pence, but said he would like to see Trump take a more serious approach.
“What I’m hoping is that, and I mean this sincerely, I’m hoping that a lot of what Mr. Trump has said has been rhetorical so far and as he sits behind that chair — he’s a smart guy — that he, in fact, begins to understand the gravity of and the consequences of words, not just actions but words,” Biden told the hosts of ABC show “The View.”
The former Senate Foreign Relations chairman said he worries about an “inadvertent mistake” by Trump on foreign policy that could do long-term damage. While Biden said he is not worried about a nuclear war breaking out under Trump, he is concerned about the handling of smaller matters, including circumstances in Eastern Europe, the South China Sea and Latin America.
Trump will have former Indiana governor and congressman Pence steering him, which Biden said makes him feel better about the state of the incoming White House. Biden said the two have continued to speak by phone about national security and foreign policy. Biden has even sent his successor classified memos sharing his thoughts on current events and information privy to the Oval Office.
“I am confident Mike Pence has a clear understanding of American foreign policy, where the genuine threats are. We disagree as we have between mainstream Democrats and Republicans, but he is fully aware,” Biden said. “I have great confidence in him.”
Biden also expressed “great confidence” in Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, describing him as one of the “serious, serious people around the president who knows a great deal about the nation’s security and foreign policy.”
