Jun 27, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; President Joe Biden during the debate at CNN's studios in Atlanta. CNN Anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are moderators of the debate. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
Delaware – In his first public interview since leaving office, former President Joe Biden issued a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, warning that Trump’s actions are weakening U.S. alliances and empowering authoritarian regimes. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Biden accused Trump of practicing “modern-day appeasement” toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and slammed his increasingly bizarre rhetoric on international land and sovereignty.
“What the hell’s going on here? What president ever talks like that?” Biden asked, referring to Trump’s recent musings about acquiring Greenland, taking back the Panama Canal, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” “We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity — not about confiscation.”
Biden’s remarks come as Trump ramps up provocative language on territorial matters. In recent weeks, Trump has floated the idea of Greenland becoming U.S. territory and has referred to Canada as the “51st state.” In a Tuesday Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Carney firmly responded: “Canada won’t be for sale — ever.” Trump replied, “Never say never.”
The former president also warned about the fragility of the transatlantic alliance that has underpinned Western security since the end of World War II. Speaking ahead of the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, Biden called the NATO alliance “one of the smartest things we ever did,” and cautioned that its collapse would be a historic mistake. “It’s a grave concern,” Biden said. “Otherwise you’re going to have China and the former Soviet Union, Russia, stepping up.”
Trump has long criticized NATO, calling Europe “very, very bad for us” and suggesting the U.S. may withdraw from leading NATO operations in Europe. Biden argued that Trump’s stance undermines global stability and enables dictators. “He can’t stand the fact that the Soviet Union collapsed,” Biden said of Putin. “Anybody that thinks he’s just gonna stop is foolish.”
Biden, who ended his reelection campaign in July 2024 following a widely criticized debate performance, also reflected on his decision to step aside for Kamala Harris. “It was a hard decision,” he admitted. “But I think it was the right decision.”
Despite leaving office months ago, Biden defended his administration’s Ukraine policy and warned against Trump’s handling of the conflict. Trump has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ungrateful and has signed mineral deals with Ukraine while dismissing NATO’s collective defense principle.
“They way we talk about the Gulf of America, or we need to take back Panama, maybe we need to acquire Greenland, maybe Canada,” Biden said. “What the hell’s going on here?”
In response, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung blasted Biden on social media, calling him a “complete disgrace to this country.”
But Biden was resolute. “We’re the only nation with the capacity to lead,” he said. “Without us, the world gets darker — and more dangerous.”
