WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Former Vice President Joe Biden wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times on Thursday that President Donald Trump's misunderstanding of American values, poor grasp of foreign policy and his actions damage the image and standing of the United States globally.
"Rather than building from a narrative of freedom and democracy that inspires nations to rally together, this White House casts global affairs as a zero-sum competition — for the United States to succeed, others must lose. Among the many problems that plague the Trump administration’s foreign policy, this line of thinking is perhaps the most disturbing," Biden wrote.
The former vice president said the foundation of US foreign policy — until recently — has been the principle that "other nations follow our lead because they know that America does not simply protect its own interests, but tries to advance the aspirations of all."
However, Trump’s statement in a speech in July that the fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive, point to a world view that divides the world into "us" versus "them," Biden said.
"No American political figure has so narrowly defined our interests since the period between the world wars," Biden said.
Biden emphasized that the world can ill afford to have the United States cede continue on its present path at a time when populism undermines democratic institutions and authoritarian leaders restrict individual rights.
Since assuming office, the administration of Donald Trump has been outdoing former President Barack Obama's legacy from withdrawing from the Paris climate accord and the TTP trade deal to rolling back the policy toward Cuba. Recently Trump signed an executive order on lifting the ban imposed by the Obama administration on deliveries of military equipment to US police.
