The State Department walked back President Joe Biden's remarks about Pakistan's ability to keep its nuclear weapons safe.
Biden called Pakistan one of the most dangerous nations in the world during a Tuesday speech.
Here we go again…State Department Cleans Up Diplomatic Mess After Biden Questions Pakistan Having Nuclear Weapons https://t.co/HGHmFhAsuI
— Edith Rousseau (@EdithRousseau2) October 19, 2022
"How do we handle that relative to what's going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion," Biden said.
"So, folks, there's a lot going on. A lot going on," he added.
"What I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world, Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion", said US President Joe Biden at Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Reception pic.twitter.com/cshFV5GVHY
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2022
The State Department later addressed the concerns, changing from Biden's response to claiming the U.S. is confident of Pakistan's ability to secure its nuclear weapons.
The remarks are intended to calm Pakistani anger over Biden's words, but the damage has been done, setting off another frustrating escalation that could have been avoided if the president could stick to his talking points.