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The Trump administration then pursued a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, levying further sanctions against the country and taking more militant steps against Iranian operatives, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the Trump administration designated as a terrorist group.
On Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the U.S. would need to lift sanctions before Iran meets its commitments under the nuclear deal.
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During the CBS News interview, Biden also addressed the U.S.-China relationship, reflecting on his past experiences with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Well, we haven’t had occasion to talk to him yet,” Biden said of why he hadn’t spoken with the Chinese leader since his swearing-in. “There’s no reason not to call him. I probably spent more time with Xi Jinping, I’m told, than any world leader has, because I had 24, 25 hours of private meetings with him when I was vice president. Traveled 17,000 miles with him. I know him pretty well.”
Biden and Xi were both vice presidents of their respective countries in 2011 and 2013 when Biden visited China. Biden again engaged then-President Xi during a 2015 visit to Iowa.
U.S.-China relations, already on the decline when Biden and Xi met, have since deteriorated further after years of more aggressive posturing from the Trump administration and an emboldened China. Biden assured O’Donnell that there remained “a lot to talk about” with Xi, but was clear-eyed about competition with China.
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“He’s very bright. He’s very tough. He doesn’t have – and I don’t mean it as a criticism, just the reality – he doesn’t have a democratic, small D, bone in his body,” Biden said of Xi.
“I’ve said to him all along, that we need to not have a conflict. But there’s going to be extreme competition. And I’m not going to do it the way that he knows. And that’s because he’s sending signals as well. I’m not going to do it the way Trump did. We’re going to focus on international rules of the road,” Biden said, signaling a return to a more multilateral approach that would see the U.S. work with other countries to counter and negotiate with China.
The rest of Biden’s interview with CBS News will air at 4:00 PM EST, one hour before the Super Bowl.
