Biden thankful for smooth transition of power, urges Trump to 'rethink' tariffs on Canada and Mexico

"I hope that [President-elect Trump] rethinks it. I think it's a counterproductive thing to do," Biden told reporters Thursday on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was spending the holiday with family. "We're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Oceans and two allies - Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. I think that we got them in a good place."

Trump also threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on China. Biden said Chinese President Xi Jinping "doesn't want to make a mistake."

"I am not saying he is our best buddy, but he understands what's at stake," he said. 

The president also said he was pleased with the cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon and that he was "very, very happy" about China releasing three Americans who were "wrongfully detained" for several years. 

"I want to make sure it goes smoothly. And all the talk about what he is going to do and not do, I think that maybe it is a little bit of internal reckoning on his part," he said.