Vice President Joe Biden in his first public remarks since Donald Trump became President-elect, said that there would be no “diminution” to the American-Israel alliance and advised that the American people at large are the “ultimate guarantor to every president on every transition.”
Biden, sounding somewhat defeated, was speaking at a dinner for the World Jewish Congress — a group representing Jewish communities in over 100 countries— where he spoke of a Trump presidency specifically in terms of an American-Israel relationship, saying that there would be “no diminution of support” in the next administration.
“A number of my friends in the community are anxious about what it’ll mean for America’s commitment to Israel. I stand here to tell you that I have no doubt, none whatsoever, that in the Trump administration there will be no diminution of support as a consequence of this transition,” Biden said.
“Even if a new administration were inclined to reduce a commitment, which it’s not. Congress would never let it happen. The American people would never let it happen,” he added.
Trump in a video message to supporters in Israel last month, Trump said he would “make America and Israel safe again” and that his administration would “stand side-by-side with the Jewish people.”
On Wednesday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on his win calling him “a true friend of Israel.”
“You measure your influence on how well you influence me, presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, senators, congressman but your influence on the American community at large has been profound. That’s the ultimate guarantor to every American president on every transition,” Biden cautioned the crowd.
Biden also spoke about ending anti-Semitism in his remarks saying it “still infects too much of our world … including here in our own country.”