In his first interview since leaving the White House in January, former U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a scathing critique of Donald Trump’s foreign policy, warning that Trump’s approach to Russia could shatter global alliances and undermine America’s credibility on the world stage.
Speaking to the BBC in Delaware during the Allied commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Biden likened Trump’s recent suggestions that Ukraine should concede territory to Russia to the failed appeasement strategies of the 1930s.
“Anybody who thinks Putin would stop if Kyiv gave in is just foolish,” Biden said. “This is modern-day appeasement. He [Putin] believes Russia has historical rights to Ukraine, and Trump’s proposals echo Chamberlain’s failed gamble with Hitler.”
Biden voiced deep concern that Trump’s potential return to power would shake the foundations of the transatlantic alliance. “Europe would lose confidence in the certainty of America,” he said. “Our allies would be left wondering, ‘Can I rely on the United States?’ That kind of doubt would rewrite modern history.”
The former president also criticized Trump’s past Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling it “beneath America,” and condemned Trump’s outlandish proposals to reclaim the Panama Canal, make Canada the 51st state, and seize Greenland. “What the hell’s going on here?” Biden exclaimed. “We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity not confiscation.”
Defending his own handling of the Ukraine conflict, Biden pushed back against claims that his administration was slow to arm Kyiv. “We gave them everything they needed to defend their independence,” he said. “And we were prepared to respond more aggressively if Putin escalated.”
Addressing his decision to bow out of the 2024 presidential race just months before the election, Biden said it was difficult but necessary. “I don’t think it would have mattered. We left with a strong candidate,” he said, referring to his successor, Kamala Harris. “Things moved quickly, and it made walking away hard but I believe it was the right call.”
