WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden on Monday slammed Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump's foreign policy proposals, saying they could spark anti-Americanism abroad, especially in Latin America.
The next US government "can continue strengthening the security and prosperity of people throughout the Americas," Biden was to say in a speech to the Center for a New American Security, according to excerpts released by his office.
"But if we build walls and disrespect our closest neighbors, we will quickly see all this progress disappear -- replaced by a return of anti-Americanism and a corrosive rift throughout our hemisphere," he said.
Biden was referring to the real estate mogul's controversial proposal to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to crack down on illegal immigration.
The vice president's speech comes as the White House and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton mount a concerted effort to highlight the "dangers" of an eventual Trump presidency.
Last week, Clinton condemned what she called Trump's "shameful" comments about President Barack Obama and Muslims after the massacre in Orlando, and called on Republican leaders to bring him in line and condemn his statements.
"Even in a time of divided politics, this is way beyond anything that should be said by someone running for president of the United States," Clinton said.
On Monday, Biden was to say: "Choices that make our region less democratic, less prosperous, and less secure also actively undermine American interests."
"Wielding the politics of fear and intolerance -- like proposals to ban Muslims from entering the United States or slandering entire religious communities as complicit in terrorism -- calls into question America's status as the greatest democracy in the history of the world."
In the aftermath of the Orlando attack, which left 49 people dead and 53 others wounded, Trump openly accused the Muslim community of failing to cooperate with authorities.
And on Sunday, Trump -- who has called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States -- said he would put mosques under surveillance and was open to racial profiling.
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