'United States is back': Top EU official expresses relief as Joe Biden replaces Trump

European Union’s top official Ursula von der Leyen on January 20 expressed relief that they would again have a “friend in the White House” as Joe Biden replaces Donald Trump. In an address to MEPs, von der Leyen said that Biden’s inauguration in the United States will be “demonstration of the resilience of American democracy”. She added that after four long years, Europe is ready to reconnect with an “old and trusted partner” and to breathe new life into the US and EU’s “cherished alliance”. 

European Commission President said, “The United States is back. And Europe stands ready. To reconnect with an old and trusted partner, to breathe new life into our cherished alliance. I look forward to working together with Joe Biden”. 

She added, “President Trump may be history in a few hours, but his supporters remain. More than 70 million Americans voted for Trump in the election. A few hundred of them stormed the Capitol in Washington, the heart of American democracy, just a few days ago. And this really is what it looks like when words are put into deeds when hate speech and fake news become a real danger to democracy”. 

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‘America seems to have changed’ 

Under the Trump administration, the US had been at loggerheads with Brussels over trade, subsidies for platemakers and European attempts to tax and regulate American tax giants. In the past, several EU countries have also been outraged by Trump’s decision to quit the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal. However, as Biden is set to be inaugurated on January 20, the EU leaders hope that he will return to all of the aforementioned accords. 

Following von der Leyen’s address, European Council President Charles Michel also said that the trans-Atlantic relations have greatly suffered in the last four years. He noted that the differences between the EU and US will not magically disappear. However, he also added that America seems to have changed and hot it’s perceived in Europe and the rest of the world has also changed. 

Michel said the EU's priority is to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, rebuild the global economy and boost security ties with America. 

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