BERLIN (AP) — Even in Germany, it's hard for President Joe Biden to escape the topic of Donald Trump.
The U.S. president meets Friday with European allies for closed-door conversations about Russia's war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. But with the U.S. presidential election just weeks away and the race extremely tight, there are worries that a Trump victory could upset the relationships that Biden is hoping to pass on to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Trump, the Republican nominee, has an appetite for tariffing key U.S. security partners. He's expressed indifference to the security of Ukraine, refusing to say during a presidential debate if he wants the U.S. ally to win its war against Russia. He's voiced doubts about coming to the defense of NATO members if they come under attack.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on the way to Berlin, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan rejected the notion that Biden wants to “Trump-proof” U.S. foreign policy, because of the political implications of that term. But Sullivan's stated goals seem designed to thwart efforts by a potential Trump administration to stop military aid to Ukraine after more than two years of fighting.
“What the president is trying to do is to make our commitment to Ukraine sustainable and institutionalized for the long term,” Sullivan said. “And every other ally agreed that that was the responsible thing to do.”
But Sullivan cautioned that Biden ultimately can only speak for himself, not what his potential successor might do.
“What President Biden can do is what he’s done for four years, which is lay out his vision of America’s place in the world and point the way forward based on what he thinks are in America’s national security interests and in the interests of our close allies,” Sullivan said. “Beyond that, he can’t speak for anyone else and doesn’t intend to.”
Trump has said his approach will help the U.S. economy and prevent foreign countries from taking advantage of the United States. He maintains that if he were still president, Russia would never have invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Hamas would never have attacked Israel in 2023.
“I will end the war in Ukraine, stop the chaos in the Middle East, and prevent World War III,” he said at a recent rally in Georgia. “I can do that.”
At home, the president has verbally tussled with Trump over falsehoods tied to the government's relief efforts after hurricanes Helene and Milton, with Biden saying the willingness of Trump and his allies to spread misinformation was “un-American.”
Harris, for her part, has voiced strong backing for Ukraine and tracks with Biden on support for Israel, while placing particular emphasis on the need to relieve the suffering of Palestinian civilians whose lives have been upended by the Hamas war.
Biden has long said that his message to foreign leaders is that “America is back” and engaged with allies after Trump's time in office. But the U.S. president recalled being met with skepticism: “The comment that I hear most of all from them is they say, ‘We see America is back but for how long? But for how long?’”
Biden did not want his term to end without visiting the German capital of Berlin, after having been to visit other key allies such as Japan, South Korea, France, India, the United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine.
He will start his Friday by going to Bellevue Palace and meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Biden is then slated to receive Germany's Order of Merit, an honor that was also bestowed on former U.S. President George H.W. Bush for his support of German reunification.
Biden will then meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the head of Germany's government. Biden and Scholz will later meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer before the U.S. president jets home late Friday afternoon.
Biden and Scholz plan to discuss next steps in Ukraine and developments in Israel and Gaza after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. They also intend to touch on Lebanon and Iran, and coordinate their approaches to China as well as their respective industrial and innovation strategies. The pair are also set to talk about the development of artificial intelligence and renewable energy resources.
While Biden wants to use the trip to emphasize the importance of democratic values, he has no plans to hold a news conference to answer questions from reporters. Sullivan pushed back against the idea that a news conference would reflect democratic values after reporters raised the subject with him aboard Air Force One.
“I mean, honestly, I think invoking democracy and suggesting that President Biden is somehow insufficiently committed to it because of the structure of his press engagement on one day in Germany is a bit ludicrous,” Sullivan said.
President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks after arriving at Brandenburg Airport in Schoenefeld near Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
President Joe Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One as he arrives at Brandenburg Airport in Schoenefeld near Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and scored four times, Mookie Betts also went deep and drove in four runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the New York Mets 10-2 on Thursday night for a 3-1 lead in their lopsided National League Championship Series.
Betts had a two-run homer and a two-run double among his four hits. Max Muncy extended his streak of reaching base safely to 12 plate appearances, a postseason record, and the Dodgers moved within one win of their 25th pennant — most in NL history.
Game 5 is Friday at Citi Field, with Jack Flaherty expected to pitch for Los Angeles looking to put his hometown team in the World Series.
David Peterson was set to make his first playoff start for New York after pitching well out of the bullpen this postseason.
“Peterson is fully rested. Last time he pitched was four days ago. So I’m anticipating him making a regular start,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Surprise cleanup batter Tommy Edman had three RBIs, including a tiebreaking double off starter Jose Quintana with two outs in the third inning. Kiké Hernández followed with an RBI single that made it 3-1.
Betts broke open the game, greeting reliever Jose Buttó with a two-run double in the fourth and then right-hander Phil Maton with a two-run homer in the sixth.
Both big hits followed walks to Ohtani, handed three straight free passes after homering on consecutive swings going back to Game 3.
“Not only Ohtani, you have to take care of the other guys behind him,” Mendoza said. “When he goes out there first at-bat of the game and hits it like that, obviously, it’s a good feeling for them. We knew that wasn’t going to beat us, but we couldn’t just stop it.”
Betts gave a huge fist pump between second and third as he rounded the bases following his third homer of these playoffs.
Mark Vientos provided a rare highlight for New York, hitting his fourth postseason homer in the first inning off $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
But the Mets, who were 14-2 in their past 16 games at Citi Field when they arrived back home Wednesday, were blown out on their own turf for the second successive night.
New York has been outscored 30-9 in the series, including 9-0 in the opener and 8-0 in Game 3.
“You’ve got to give those guys credit. That’s a deep lineup,” Mendoza said. “And whether (our starters) are feeling it or not, we haven’t executed and we haven’t got length from them.”
The latest flop after a thrilling comeback ride this far into October hushed a sellout crowd of 43,882 and left Citi Field eerily quiet in the late innings — and just about as empty as April.
Evan Phillips earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Yamamoto.
Trailing 7-2, the staggering Mets had a chance to get back in the game when they loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth. But then Phillips got two outs and Blake Treinen retired pinch-hitter Jesse Winker on a fly to the right-field warning track.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: All-Star 1B Freddie Freeman missed his second game of the playoffs. Freeman has been playing with a badly sprained and swollen right ankle throughout the postseason.
Mets: Slumping catcher Francisco Alvarez hobbled to first base in pain after getting drilled by Yamamoto's 91 mph sinker to begin the fifth. He was pulled for a pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the sixth.
UP NEXT
Acquired from Detroit at the July 30 trade deadline, Flaherty went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for the Dodgers and finished 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA overall. He allowed two hits over seven innings to win the NLCS opener 9-0.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani scores past New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez on a double by Mookie Betts during the fourth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani scores past New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez on a double by Mookie Betts during the fourth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reacts after getting hit with a foul ball during the eighth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani breaks his bat and grounds out against the New York Mets during the seventh inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates after scoring on Mookie Betts two-run home run against the New York Mets during the sixth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a double by Mookie Betts during the fourth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts celebrates after a two run double against the New York Mets during the fourth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts hits a two-run home run against the New York Mets during the sixth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts celebrates after a two-run home run against the New York Mets during the sixth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts celebrates after a two-run home run against the New York Mets during the sixth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
