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European, Other World Leaders Welcome Joe Biden

Jamie Dettmer

   There were words of welcome Wednesday from across the world for Joe
   Biden as he was sworn in as America's 46th president. They were mixed
   with parting shots from some leaders aimed at his predecessor, Donald
   Trump, who left Washington hours before the swearing-in.
   As the inauguration has been atypical -- with no crowds and the Capitol
   guarded by thousands of National Guardsmen -- so, too, the reaction has
   been out of the ordinary from overseas leaders.
   Some European leaders who had tempestuous relations with Donald Trump
   did not hold back on their relief at seeing President Biden installed.
   "Once again, after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White
   House," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said
   Wednesday.
   "This new dawn in America is the moment we've been waiting for so long.
   Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted
   partner," she told European lawmakers in Brussels. She said she hoped
   Biden would be able to repair divisions in the United States and that
   his inauguration would be "a message of hope for a world that is
   waiting for the U.S. to be back in the circle of like-minded states."

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