Joe Biden, Bill Clinton rally behind Bangladesh interim leader Yunus

President Biden meets Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, supporting Bangladesh’s new reform agenda after ousting autocratic government.

U.S. President Joe Biden met Tuesday (September 25, 2024) with Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus on the margins of the U.N.’s annual summit, in a show of support after an uprising toppled the country’s autocratic government.

Mr. Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, later received high praise from former president Bill Clinton, who hailed their 40-year-long friendship and the global impact of the Bangladeshi’s pioneering microfinance loans.

The 84-year-old economist was appointed as the country’s “Chief Advisor” in August following the bloody, student-led movement that ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, who has since fled the country.

Mr. Biden offered “continued U.S. support as Bangladesh implements its new reform agenda,” a White House statement said.

The U.S.-Bangladesh relationship “is rooted in shared democratic values and strong people-to-people ties,” it said.

According to a readout provided by Bangladeshi officials, Mr. Yunus briefed Mr. Biden on how the students “rose against the tyranny of the previous government and gave their lives to create this opportunity to rebuild Bangladesh,” and said his interim government would need U.S. help to rebuild the nation.

Mr. Yunus also presented Mr. Biden with a book featuring paintings made by the students.