President Biden addresses the nation about the dramatic situation in Syria.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Here in the United States, President Biden spoke about this historic moment.
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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: At long last, the Assad regime has fallen.
DETROW: In a speech from the White House, Biden took some credit for the fall of Assad’s authoritarian regime. He spoke about the opportunity for Syria’s suffering people but also about the risks, saying the U.S. should remain involved to support our regional partners there. Around the same time that Biden spoke, in fact, the U.S. confirmed a series of missile strikes in Syria that targeted Islamic State camps and operatives. In a statement the U.S. government said, quote, “we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria.” But Biden leaves office in about a month. And President-elect Donald Trump says this is not the U.S.’s fight. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is here to speak it out – about it all. Hey, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
DETROW: So Biden did take some credit. How exactly did he portray the U.S.’s role?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, he said, for the first time ever, Assad could not count on the support of Russia or Iran or Hezbollah, which have been left weaker. And he said they’re weaker because of U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, as well as U.S. support of Israel in its fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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BIDEN: It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty.
ORDOÑEZ: Biden cited U.S. sanctions against Syria, and the U.S. forces have remained in the country, particularly to counter threats of extremists like the Islamic State.
DETROW: So Biden’s talking about risk and uncertainty. What exactly does that mean and what comes next from the White House’s point of view?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, the White House insists that Syria’s future will be written by Syrians. But Biden says the U.S. will be involved and continue to work with the United Nations and partners in the region, including Iraq, Jordan and Israel. The U.S. remains concerned about the Islamic State kind of taking advantage of the situation to seize control. Biden says they’re not going to let that happen. Biden also told reporters that he thinks American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for 12 years, is alive and that they think they can get him back.
DETROW: Biden, of course, will not be there long. He’s only going to be president for another month, and – or so. What about President-elect Trump? – because Trump has made it clear, going back to his first administration, he doesn’t really see the U.S. being tied up in Syria. He’s deeply skeptical of that.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I know he doesn’t. I mean, he made that point very clear this weekend, when he warned that the U.S. should not have anything to do with this. He wrote in big capital letters on social media – this is not our fight; let it play out. But it’s a tumultuous time. And this is just another example of the global challenges that Trump is going to inherit. I mean, he’s promised to deliver peace through strength. You know, that’s really going to be put to the test.
DETROW: All right, Franco, let’s stick with Trump for a moment a little more broadly. He did an interview today on “Meet The Press.” He talked a lot about his priorities. What did we hear?
ORDOÑEZ: He did. In many ways, it sounded like a campaign speech on issues like immigration and the economy. He promised to end birthright citizenship, you know, established explicitly in the Constitution. He also talked about pardons for many of the January 6 rioters. You know, he is not backing down on mass deportations of those here illegally, though he says he will focus on those who had committed crimes. That said, he said families could also be deported. I mean, he talked about deporting documented and undocumented families, including their children, if they wanted to stay together. You know, but of course, there’s a big difference between saying that, which his administration basically did in 2018, versus the reality of dealing with thousands of children being separated from their parents, as ended up happening during the first Trump administration. Trump, of course, reversed course after the public outcry.
DETROW: That is NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Franco, thanks as always.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Scott.
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