Justin Trudeau becomes first world leader to say he’s spoken with Joe Biden and says he is ready to work with him on climate change and COVID – ignoring Donald Trump’s refusal to concede
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became the first world leader to say he had spoken with President-elect Joe Biden.
‘I just spoke with @JoeBiden, and congratulated him again on his election,’ Trudeau tweeted Monday. ‘We’ve worked with each other before, and we’re ready to pick up on that work and tackle the challenges and opportunities facing our two countries – including climate change and COVID-19.’
President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election to Biden, prompting some world leaders to not reach out to the former vice president yet.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became the first world leader to say he had spoken with President-elect Joe Biden, as President Donald Trump continues to refuse to concede
Trudeau tweeted out a photo of himself on the phone with Biden and said the two leaders would work on issues including climate change, stopping the spread of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism
President-elect Joe Biden has been receiving some messages of congratulations from world leaders, but President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede has made it awkward
That wasn’t the case for Trudeau, who’s more politically in line with the Democratic Biden than the Republican Trump.
‘We talked about those specific challenges today, as well as trade, energy, NATO, anti-Black racism, and China’s arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor,’ Trudeau said.
Kovrig and Spavor are two Canadians who have been detained by the Chinese since December 2018.
‘On these and other issues, President-elect @JoeBiden and I agreed to keep in touch and work closely together,’ Trudeau said.
Also on Monday, the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C. told Foreign Policy that King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ‘has sent a cable of congratulation to President-elect Joe Biden on winning the presidential elections in the United States of America.’
Trump’s refusal to concede has put world leaders in an awkward position.
It took several hours and until early Sunday before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump ally, had anything to say.
‘Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the U.S. and Israel,’ Netanyahu said, congratulating both Biden and his running mate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Netanyahu also sent out a tweet addresseed to Trump.
‘Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented height,’ Netanyahu said.
Other leaders spoke out more promptly.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted Saturday within two hours of the race being called by TV networks in the former vice president’s favor.
‘The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!’ French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted shortly after Johnson.
Trudeau was also one of the first world leaders out of the gate.
‘Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship that’s unique on the world stage. I’m really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both,’ he wrote Saturday.