Fact Check– Joe Biden: President Trump ‘Embraces All the Thugs in the World’

CLAIM: Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden claimed Thursday night at a town hall in Philadelphia that President Donald Trump “embraces all the thugs in the world.”

VERDICT: False.

Former Vice President Joe Biden talked about the United States’ role in the world and how he viewed that it had diminished since Trump took office.

“We find ourselves in a position where we’re more isolated in the world than ever before,” Biden said. “Our allies are going alone, America First has made America alone. You have Iran closer to having enough nuclear material to build a bomb. North Korea has more bombs and missiles available to them.”

“We find ourselves with our NATO allies saying they publicly can’t count on us. We’re in a situation, as well, where in the Far East, in the Western Pacific where we’re isolated as well,” Biden continued. “I would say we’re less secure than we’ve been.”

Biden then went on to suggest that Trump “embraces” dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“This president embraces all the thugs in the world,” Biden said. “I mean, he’s best friends with the leader of North Korea, sending love letters. He doesn’t take on Putin in any way, and he’s learned the art of the steal from the art of the deal from Xi in China.”

But unlike Biden’s claim, Trump has been anything but best friends with these leaders. In 2017, the Trump administration led a movement to step up global sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons capable of hitting the United States.

As of July 2020, Trump has cut off trade talks with China, sanctioned Chinese officials over their internment of Muslims and for taking over Hong Kong, and has vowed retaliation for Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus, Politico reported.

He also revealed plans to strip Chinese students of their visas, shut down a Chinese diplomatic compound in Houston, and restricted the entry of Chinese journalists into the U.S.

Trump also has a softer side to his administration’s foreign policy, brokering a peace deal with Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in September 2020.

Even Biden had something nice to say about Trump’s foreign policy when dealing with Israel.

“I do compliment the president on the deal with Israel recently,” he said during the town hall.