President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration would not be simply an extension of former President Barack Obama’s presidency as he begins to roll out his Cabinet and advisory picks.
“This is not a third Obama term because we face a totally different world than we faced in the Obama-Biden administration,” Biden told NBC News correspondent Lester Holt when asked about the criticism that he’s bringing in Obama era appointees, asserting that President Donald Trump “has changed the landscape.”
“That’s why I’ve found people who join the administration and keep points that represent the spectrum of the American people as well as the spectrum of the Democratic Party,” Biden said.
The President-elect also stated that he has considered appointing a Republican who voted for Trump for a Cabinet position because “the purpose of our administration is, once again, uniting.”
When asked if he’d spoken to Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) about a potential appointment, Biden confirmed he had done so but noted the problem with pulling a progressive out of Congress and potentially jeopardizing the votes he’ll need to pass liberal policies.
“I have a very ambitious, very progressive agenda, and it’s going to take really strong leaders in the House and Senate to get it done,” he told Holt during the pre-taped interview.
Several of Biden’s appointees are Obama alums, including Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken, who served as deputy secretary of state, and Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas, who served as deputy chief of the department.
Watch Biden below:
