From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
In one of his final interviews before leaving office, Biden focuses on domestic policy and mentions Israel only in passing
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
In an exit interview with USA Today shortly before he leaves office, US President Joe Biden mentions Israel once in passing, and does not bring up the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.
“I’ll just skip real quickly to Saudi Arabia,” he says while discussing energy policy. “They want to work out a deal with recognition of Israel [inaudible]. They said on two things. One, ‘Can you help us transition from making oil to move to peaceful nuclear reactors? You build the reactor, you occupy them, you show us how you do it. And can you have oil companies disinvesting in oil drilling?'”
Biden discusses the broad contours of his foreign policy over the past four years, saying he “reestablished our alliances because they’re our safety. And I diminished the direct conflict with major adversaries.”
“I thought it was critically important to reestablish America’s preeminence in foreign policy,” he continues. “I said, ‘If we don’t lead the world, I don’t know who does.'”
The bulk of the interview focuses on domestic issues like economic and infrastructure policy.
On the November elections, Biden says he thinks he would have been able to defeat Donald Trump. Asked whether he would have had the “vigor” to serve for four more years, Biden responds, “I don’t know.”
Reflecting on his legacy, Biden says “I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America’s leadership in the world.”
