Attempting to silence criticism of his foreign policy agenda, President Biden gave perhaps the most important speech so far before the United Nations General Assembly today.
Biden has long touted his foreign policy bona fides, but recent setbacks for the administration have caused headaches both at home and abroad. Between continuing tensions with China, the optics of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and France's anger over our new security pact with Australia (voiding Paris' multibillion-dollar submarine deal with Canberra), the president faces growing challenges demanding resolution.ย (RELATED:ย US Announces Security Partnership to Counter China)
Though Biden's words before the General Assembly carried added weight with such high stakes, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was unimpressed, asย revealedย in a Fox News exclusive.
โPresident Biden's speech ignored the reality and seriousness of America's threats and enemies,โ Haley told Fox News after Biden's speech Tuesday. โChina, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and terrorism, to name a few.โย
โUnder the Trump administration, the world knew where we stood,โ Haley, who served under former President Trump, said. โAt the U.N., we took the names of our enemies and had the backs of our allies.โ
Extending an apparent olive branch to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden said the United States was โnot seeking a new Cold Warโ with China.
Biden did not mention Russia or China by name, however he did discuss human rights issues in the Xinjiang region of China.
Biden also emphasized the โimportance of freedom of navigationโ in an indirect shot at Beijing's aggressiveย gray zone tacticsย in the South China Sea.
Haley's comments come after Biden addressed the United Nations in New York City Tuesday morning, telling his international peers that the world stands โat an inflection point in history,โ while saying that the United States intends to โlead on all of the greatest challenges of our time,โ but not aloneโunderscoring the importance of alliances and partnerships around the globe.ย
It remains unclear whether many in General Assembly still question if Biden is as different from Trump, on foreign affairs, as they hoped.
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