Mr. Biden appeared eager to address the unease as he greeted career diplomats Thursday.
“America is back,” the president said. “America is back. Diplomacy is back. You are the center of all that I intend to do. You are the heart of it.”
Mr. Biden, who is slated to give a broader foreign policy speech Thursday afternoon, offered the brief initial remarks after Ms. Harris told the crowd that she and the president were visiting “to tell you we are committed to upholding the highest standards.”
The vice president thanked career U.S. diplomats for staying true to “democracy, to human rights and to the rule of law” during what she said was a “difficult” period of years under the Trump administration.
His brief speech, delivered to about 30 agency staff, was a veiled acknowledgement of turning the page on the combative tenure of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
“I know the State Department that I’m walking into is not the same one I left four years ago,” Blinken said while paying tribute to the 47 State Department staff who have died from COVID-19 and acknowledging barriers and fencing that went up following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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As part of President Biden’s push to promote unity after the stark divisions of the Trump era, Blinken implored State Department staff and told them they have a role to play amid his push to rebuild morale and trust.
Rudy Giuliani Fast Facts
Personal
Birth place: Brooklyn, New York
Birth name: Rudolph William Louis Giuliani
Father: Harold Giuliani, a tavern owner
Mother: Helen (D’Avanzo) Giuliani, a secretary
Marriages: Judith “Judi” Nathan (May 24, 2003-2019, divorced); Donna Hanover (April 15, 1984-July 10, 2002, divorced); Regina Peruggi (October 26, 1968-1982, annulled)
Children: with Donna Hanover: Caroline, August 22, 1989; Andrew, January 30, 1986
Education: Manhattan College, B.A., 1965; New York University Law School, J.D., 1968 (magna cum laude)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Other Facts
Widely credited with New York’s revitalization during the 1990s, when crime dropped significantly and the economy boomed.
After the 9/11 attacks, Giuliani was widely praised for his response to the disaster.
Rudy Giuliani Fast Facts
Personal
Birth place: Brooklyn, New York
Birth name: Rudolph William Louis Giuliani
Father: Harold Giuliani, a tavern owner
Mother: Helen (D’Avanzo) Giuliani, a secretary
Marriages: Judith “Judi” Nathan (May 24, 2003-2019, divorced); Donna Hanover (April 15, 1984-July 10, 2002, divorced); Regina Peruggi (October 26, 1968-1982, annulled)
Children: with Donna Hanover: Caroline, August 22, 1989; Andrew, January 30, 1986
Education: Manhattan College, B.A., 1965; New York University Law School, J.D., 1968 (magna cum laude)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Other Facts
Widely credited with New York’s revitalization during the 1990s, when crime dropped significantly and the economy boomed.
After the 9/11 attacks, Giuliani was widely praised for his response to the disaster.