As the clock winds down on his presidency, Joe Biden took center stage at the State Department to vigorously defend his administration’s foreign policy record. In a sweeping speech touching on flashpoints from Kyiv to Kabul, the outgoing commander-in-chief stood resolutely behind his most controversial decisions.
“America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker,” Biden declared, painting a picture of a nation better positioned on the global stage compared to four years prior. He credited his team for fortifying NATO, supporting Ukraine, and pursuing objectives like the killing of Osama bin Laden – all, he noted, without putting more U.S. troops in harm’s way.
Defending Divisive Decisions
Biden tackled head-on some of his most contentious foreign policy moves, chief among them the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 after two decades of war. “I’m the first president in decades who’s not handing a war in Afghanistan to a successor,” he stated unapologetically, insisting that core U.S. counterterrorism goals had been met.
On the still-raging war in Ukraine, Biden asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “failed” in his attempt to swiftly conquer the country. He pointed to his own visit to Kyiv as a sign of solidarity and support. “There’s more to do. We can’t walk away,” Biden said of the conflict, calling for continued assistance to Ukraine.
Mideast Moves and Unfinished Business
Turning to the Middle East, the president said his administration was urgently working to broker a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would halt fighting, free hostages, and allow a surge of humanitarian aid into the battered Palestinian enclave. He framed the effort as critical for both Palestinians’ right to “peace and the right to determine their own futures” and Israel’s need for genuine security.
Biden acknowledged the Gaza truce push was coming down to the wire in his final days in office. “We are close to a deal, and it can get done this week,” he stated, while stopping short of any firm promises. Closing the deal, he indicated, would be a task left to the incoming Trump team.
Warnings for the Trump White House
Even as he prepares to hand over the reins of power, Biden did not shy away from critiquing the stated priorities and positions of some in the incoming administration. He took direct aim at officials who have expressed skepticism over investing in clean energy and questioned the reality of the climate crisis.
They don’t even believe climate change is real. I think they come from a different century. They’re wrong. They are dead wrong. It’s the single greatest existential threat to humanity.
President Joe Biden
Biden framed the fight against climate change as not just an environmental imperative but an economic one, warning that China is vying to “dominate the clean energy, manufacturing, critical materials supply chains.” It’s a battle, he argued, that will shape the global economy for decades – and one the U.S. “must win.“
Cementing a Complicated Legacy
As he nears the end of his term, Biden sought to define his own foreign policy legacy as one of renewed alliances, resolve against adversaries, and difficult but necessary decisions. His forceful final State Department speech seemed aimed at solidifying that narrative ahead of a presidential transition that’s sure to bring stark changes.
The address comes as the White House is also grappling with the impending public release of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. A legal fight has erupted over making the full findings public, yet another cloud hanging over the presidential changeover.
For Joe Biden, the speech was a final opportunity to frame his international record on his own terms – and perhaps a last caution to his successor on the dangers of reversing course. How his foreign policy will be judged in the long lens of history, and how much of it will endure in a new administration, remains an open question as the president prepares to depart the world stage.
