US President-elect Joe Biden has hinted that left-wing leaders in his Democratic party Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren should not count on a ministerial post.
Biden appears to be heading for a more moderate course, saying he is also considering asking some Republicans for positions in his administration.
“We already have a significant representation of progressives in our administration, but everything is negotiable in principle,” Biden said after being asked on Tuesday if he had already been in touch with Senators Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) in connection with ministerial posts.
“Getting someone out of the Senate, or the House of Representatives, especially an influential person, is a tough decision,” Biden said at the back.
Currently, the Republicans still have a narrow majority in the Senate, and the question is whether the Democrats can change that when the second round of elections takes place in Georgia in January. Biden’s team of ministers must eventually also be appointed by the Senate. That, too, maybe a reason for Biden to favour moderates over Democrats from the left-wing of the party.
Biden once again underlined the intermediate course he wants to take by saying that he wants to reunite the country with his government. “We cannot continue this damaging political discussion. It must stop,” said the incoming president.
Biden has already announced his choices for the ministerial posts of Foreign Affairs (Anthony Blinken), Finance (Janet Yellen) and Internal Security (Alejandro Mayorkas). He wants to nominate former presidential candidate John Kerry as ‘climate pope’ and Avril Haines as intelligence chief.