Biden tells world 'America is back'

In remarks delivered virtually at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, President Biden said, "America is back" and spoke about the importance of trans-Atlantic alliances.

Video Transcript

JOE BIDEN: And two years ago, as you pointed out, when I last spoke in Munich, I was a private citizen. I was a professor, not an elected official. But I said at that time, we will be back. And I'm a man of my word. America is back.

I speak to you today as president of the United States at the very start of my administration, and I'm sending a clear message to the world-- America is back. The transatlantic alliance is back. And we are not looking backward, we are looking forward together. It comes down to this-- the transatlantic alliance is a strong foundation-- the strong foundation on which our collective security and our shared prosperity are built.

The partnership between Europe and the United States, in my view, is and must remain the cornerstone of all that we hope to accomplish in the 21st century, just as we did in the 20th century. The challenges we face today are different. We're at an inflection point. When I spoke to you as a senator and as even as vice president, the global dynamics have shifted.

New crises demand our attention. We cannot focus only on the competition among countries that threaten to divide the world or only on global challenges that threaten to sink us all together if we fail to cooperate. We must do both, working in lockstep with our allies and partners.

So let me erase any lingering doubt. The United States will work closely with our European Union partners and the capitals across the continent, from Rome to Riga, to meet the range of shared challenges we face.