Biden vs. Trump: Tension Heats Up Between Two Party Frontrunners After Iran Attack

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has continuously touted his foreign relations experience on the campaign trail, Tuesday characterized President Trump’s handling of Iran as “dangerously incompetent.”

Biden, speaking in New York, said Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a targeted drone strike near Baghdad airport was “haphazard” and all he has offered in its wake are “tweets, threats and tantrums.”

Biden said he previously has made the case that Trump “was dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership. In the past few days, in the wake of the killing of the Iranian general, Soleimani, I think Donald Trump has proved that comment beyond dispute.”

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Trump and administration officials have defended the decision to strike the general, alleging he was orchestrating plans to attack U.S. diplomats and soldiers. The killing has sparked outrage in Iraq, Iran and elsewhere, with Tehran vowing revenge, saying it has 13 “scenarios” in mind.

Biden called “preposterous” Trump’s assertion that tweeting his intentions takes the place of informing Congress, allies and the American people.

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Biden said he spent a lot of time focusing on Soleimani during his time as vice president and “I have no love lost for the man.”

He continued: “He was not a good man. There's not a single thing he did that was in American interests and he killed and was responsible for killing a lot of Americans over time. But the question is — this administration has given us no confidence that they have a plan or a strategy with how to deal with the aftermath of the strike. What comes next?”

Biden said he has no confidence the president has a plan.

“And his talk of things like bombing cultural sites and immediately requiring our, our secretary of state, to have to say, 'No, no, no, no, that's a war crime under international law to do.'”

Meanwhile, Trump met Monday with Saudi Vice Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who said he passed along a message from Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The White House has not provided any information about the meeting. In a tweet Tuesday, Trump described the meeting as “very good.”

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In an appearance before reporters Trump defended his decision to target Soleimani.

“He’s been called a monster and he’s no longer a monster. He’s dead,” Trump said. “And that’s a good thing for a lot of countries. He was planning a very big attack and a very bad attack.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters the president made the right decision but declined to provide any evidence.

“We got it right. The Department of Defense did excellent work. And the president had an entirely legal, appropriate, and a basis, as well as a decision that fit perfectly within our strategy and how to counter the threat of malign activity from Iran more broadly,” Pompeo said. He said Trump was presented with a wide array of evidence he used to make his decision.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has called on the administration to release its evidence that Soleimani had to be taken out to thwart plans for imminent strikes against U.S. diplomats and soldiers.

Trump’s decision not to inform Congress until the day after the strike has sparked outrage among Democrats, who are considering new war powers legislation.

The Soleimani strike prompted the Iraqi Parliament to demand foreign troops leave the country but Trump said Tuesday the U.S. has no intention of pulling out now.

“Eventually we want to be able to allow Iraq to run its own affairs,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “This isn’t the right point.”