The leaders of close US allies on Tuesday telephoned President-elect Joe Biden and pledged to work together but in an extraordinary break, America's top diplomat Mike Pompeo insisted that Donald Trump would remain in power.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all offered congratulations in calls to Biden, who a week earlier edged out Trump in the presidential election.
"I'm letting them know that America is back. We're going to be back in the game. It's not America alone," Biden told reporters in his home state of Delaware.
When I’m speaking to foreign leaders, I’m telling them: America is going to be back. We’re going to be back in the game.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 10, 2020
The transition team said Biden planned to work with the Europeans on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as well as climate change -- one of many areas on which Trump sharply differed with the allies.
On the call with Merkel, who has been savaged by Trump over her welcome to migrants and Germany's modest defense expenditure, Biden in a statement "praised her leadership" and called for "revitalizing the trans-Atlantic relationship, including through NATO and the EU."
Johnson, who had a warm relationship with Trump, spoke for 20 minutes with Biden and wrote later on Twitter that he hoped to work with him on climate change, "promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic," employing the slogan from the Democrat's campaign.
I wish you strength Joe. With the amounts of bigotry, stupidity and vile amorality in the republican party these days, you're going to have a very hard ship to captain if almost half the crew is going to be busy poking holes in the hull. I feel for America. Godspeed.
— Marcel de Graaf (@groundabout) November 11, 2020
America is back!!
— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) November 10, 2020
America is back and world has already started respecting USA. Thanks to the President-elect Biden.
— Syed M Kazmi (@SMahmoodKazmi) November 10, 2020
You have 75 million Americans counting on you to end tyranny and take this dictator wanna be out of the office. Thank you for your hard work and for starting covid task force
— ThexyBeatht (@thexybeatht) November 11, 2020
Imagine what would have become of America if Trump had made his way back into the presidency
— Bruno 🔴 (@MbakweJ) November 10, 2020
I appreciate your calm, and hope you are inaugurated on Jan 20th because Republicans do not love this country.I'm worried Republicans will block you at every turn for 4 years. They have no honor. They know no shame. Your honor and decency are seen by them as weaknesses.
— Mike C (@MikeC_PA6thDist) November 10, 2020
US media outlets concluded Saturday that Biden enjoyed unassailable leads in major states as well as a commanding edge in the nationwide popular vote.
Pompeo, Trump's secretary of state, made clear that Trump's stance was official government policy as he brushed aside a question on whether he was cooperating with the Biden transition team.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Pompeo said in a sometimes testy news conference.
He said that "the world should have every confidence" in the functioning of the US government in the run-up and after the January 20 inauguration.
(with inputs from agencies)