Biden on his national security team: They'll tell me what I need to know, not what I want to know

“Diplomacy is back,” and America will be “a country of welcome.”

These were just two of the policy shifts that members of President-elect Joe Biden’s national security team pledged to enact Tuesday at an event introducing Biden’s choices for top Cabinet posts.

Biden said his nominees will “restore America globally, its global leadership and its moral leadership, and will ensure that our service members, diplomats and intelligence professionals can do their jobs free of politics.”

Joining Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on stage in Wilmington, Delaware, were Antony Blinken, Biden’s pick for secretary of State; Alejandro Mayorkas, his choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security; Avril Haines, his nominee for director of national intelligence; Jake Sullivan, the incoming national security advisor; Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who was tapped to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, and former Secretary of State John Kerry, who will take on a newly created role as special envoy for climate change.

The event offered millions of Americans their first opportunity to hear directly from Biden’s nominees, who have decades of experience in foreign policy but are not necessarily household names.

Taken together, their remarks previewed an approach to foreign policy that seems diametrically opposed to the one that President Donald Trump has pursued for the past four years.

There was no talk of “America first” and no hint of crackdowns on immigration or refugees. There were no corporate CEOs or career military officers named to high posts and no suggestions that U.S. foreign policy needs to serve economic interests through trade deals and bilateral purchasing agreements.

Instead, the nominees spoke of the importance of reestablishing America’s moral leadership, championing human rights and strengthening multilateral relationships with allies and democracies around the world.

While few Republicans doubted the raw qualifications of Biden’s nominees, there was already grumbling on Tuesday from GOP senators about the new approach. Biden will likely need the votes of at least a few Republicans in order to confirm his nominees to their posts.

“Biden’s cabinet picks went to Ivy League schools, have strong resumes, attend all the right conferences & will be polite & orderly caretakers of America’s decline,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted Tuesday. “I support American greatness and I have no interest in returning to the “normal” that left us dependent on China.”

Yet judging from Biden’s past statements on China, his incoming administration is poised to take a tougher line with America’s top economic adversary than President Barack Obama did.

Below are some highlights from the nominees:

Blinken: “We have to proceed with equal measures of humility and confidence. Humility because as the president-elect said, we can’t solve all the world’s problems alone. We need to be working with other countries, we need their cooperation and we need their partnership. But also confidence, because America at its best still has a greater ability than any other country on Earth to bring others together to meet the challenges of our time.”

Mayorkas: “The Department of Homeland Security has a noble mission to help keep us safe, and to advance our proud history as a country of welcome ... My father and mother brought me to this country to escape communism. They cherished our democracy and were intensely proud to become United States citizens, as was I.”

Thomas-Greenfield: “My fellow career diplomats and public servants around the world, I want to say to you: America is back. Multilateralism is back. Diplomacy is back.”

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[jimcarpenter]

An empty suit, we’re in a world of sh&t.

[BigtimeAL]

The title for this vid is pure cringe.

[tommybaker]

Now you are calling him President??? Is that your latest order from Beijing?

[Nameless]

When did Biden get in the White House?

[repurposedart]

Dang.. I only came to see him talk with out reading a teleprompter....Or at least answer question from the savage mainstream media...I love him when him looks down mumbling

[pointman]

"...engagingn in needless military conflicts..." That's interesting for him to say since the past 4 years has been the first and only time in many many years the US hasnt been sent out to clean up other nations messes nor started our own conflicts

[ravenslair]

Hear this: the vast majority of INTELLIGENT PEOPLE who love this country do NOt want this man as our President. Go home Joe

[leedier]

He is not president.you got your heading wrong. Want to correct it😂

[MrJohnnymarlboro]

This guy is a zombie.... it takes every fiber for him to just track the

[FrancisofMaine]

No needless foreign engagement? What about that little war in Iraq you voted for, proudly...?

[auxmike]

President?!
I thought Trump was still the President?

[dalepful]

LMFAO office of the president-elect this is such a joke!

[johnjriggsarchery]

Who actually believes that this guy can actually make it for 4 years. They voted for Harris and aren't clever enough to get it.

[marcamico]

I love how's there are more dislikes pertaining to Sleepy Joe than there are likes. It truly goes w/o saying many more people disagree with Joe than Trump and Democrats vs Republicans. It's mind boggling to be honest.

[MonieMuse]

Lot of hard edits happening on his speeches.

[arlene]

Isn't his pick for National Security Team some of the ones obama had? They look familiar.

[dzl]

Yeah you can call me King DZL but that doesn't make it reality. Actually this channel needs to be reported for "misinformation" since that seems to be the only thing that gets you banned these days.

[airspawn]

Biden Is playing White House I see. So cute....

[TyrannoKoenigsegg]

Love how there's huge amount of dislikes and im pretty sure they're NOT because what the video is about but rather is about just that Biden is president elect

[grantwatson]

*President-elect.
Getting a bit ahead of ourselves are we?