Tuesday, former Obama senior advisor David Axelrod praised Joe Biden’s announced cabinet picks as the former vice president moves forward with a transition despite no concession from President Donald Trump.
Although Biden has not announced his picks for every position, Axelrod said on “CNN Newsroom” that Biden is already “delivering” and “following through” on his promise to have “the most diverse cabinet in history.”
“Look, Biden is following through on the pledge that he made as a candidate. He promised the most diverse cabinet in history — he’s delivering that,” Axelrod stated. “Janet Yellen, the first treasury secretary of the United States in the history of the republic. You know, Avril Haines over as the DNI, that’s historic as well. But I think we shouldn’t lose in Mayorkas, the new DHS secretary, we should point out, is a Cuban-American immigrant, also historic and symbolically important. But we shouldn’t lose in the historic nature of these picks the fact that as a group they’re very coherent, they reflect Biden’s governing philosophy, and they are manifestly experienced and competent. And in that sense, distinct from some of the appointments that we’ve seen under the current administration.”
“In terms of the coherence, you know, as a group, on the national security side, they favor robust diplomacy, they believe in strong alliances,” he added. “This is a big shift in our foreign policy. It’s one that Biden has foreshadowed throughout his campaign. On the economic side, Yellen, broadly respected, also has emphasized what Biden did, a focus on jobs and wages and not just controlling inflation, which is not the problem right now. So, it’s very much in line with what he promised. He’s delivering on the things that he said he would.”
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