Tensions in Washington, D.C. over debt limit negotiations “really doesn’t” undermine the United States‘s credibility abroad, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
President Joe Biden was forced to cut side trips to Papua New Guinea and Australia during his Group of Seven visit to Hiroshima, Japan, over the weekend in order to contend with the debt ceiling standstill, but Sullivan downplayed its effect on the U.S. global image.
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“I gotta tell you, it really doesn’t. I’m here in Japan with the president. We are wrapping up the G7 summit, and we’re producing a set of outcomes under American leadership,” Sullivan told CNN’s State of the Union when asked if the stalemate undermines the message that the U.S. is “a reliable, stable partner.”
“People understand democracies, and they understand that there are moments in domestic politics when you’ve got to look at the homefront. But President Biden has been able to lead on the world stage and, at the same time, stay engaged to ensure that the United States does not default,” Sullivan added.
Biden met with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 sidelines and apologized for canceling his planned trip. The visits to both Papua New Guinea and Australia were set to be the first of his presidency.
Sullivan previously acknowledged that foreign allies were interested in the debt limit deliberations in the U.S.
“It is definitely a subject of interest here at the G7,” Sullivan said.
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Biden is expected to speak with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) over the phone during his return flight back to the U.S.
Negotiations collapsed over the weekend, with both sides seemingly far apart from coming to an agreement. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has projected that the U.S. will run out of cash to meet its obligations on time as soon as June 1.
