DAVENPORT, Ia. — President Donald Trump sold out United States allies and gave ISIS "a new lease on life" by withdrawing troops from Syria, former Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday.

Biden, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, used a speech in Davenport to criticize the Republican president's foreign policy. Speaking in hushed tones, Biden lamented Trump's trade war with China and the president's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, while emphasizing his own foreign policy experience.

"Donald Trump, I believe — it’s not comfortable to say this about a president — but he is a complete failure as a commander in chief," Biden said. "He’s the most reckless and incompetent commander in chief we’ve ever had."

Biden saved his harshest words for Trump's decision earlier this month to remove U.S. armed forces from northern Syria. Turkey subsequently invaded the country, including territory held by the Kurds, who were U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS.

"The events of this past week ... have had devastating clarity on just how dangerous he is to our national security, to our leadership around the world and to the lives of the brave women and men serving in uniform," Biden said.

The decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Biden said, created a humanitarian crisis, forced the United States military into retreat and gave ISIS "a new lease on life."

"Those brave Kurdish and Arab forces paid a steep price. Defeating ISIS and the caliphate, they lost over 10,000 soldiers," Biden said. "Hear me? Ten thousand. Ten thousand dead. They made the ultimate sacrifice. And then Trump sold them out."

Trump has recently stood by his decision.

"It's not our problem," the president told reporters Wednesday as Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepared to travel to Turkey to try to negotiate a ceasefire and avoid a humanitarian crisis on the Syrian border.

The president has repeatedly framed his decision in Syria as part of his broader pledge to withdraw U.S. troops from foreign entanglements.

Biden said the conflict created a rift between the United States and Turkey — two NATO allies — that is furthering Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal "of fracturing the NATO alliance."

"Imagine how demoralizing it is to the troops, our troops, as Russia pours in, mercenaries, taking literally victory laps inside of the former U.S. camps and facilities — the very ones President Trump ordered them to abandon. And Turkey attacking the very people they fought alongside of," Biden said.

Biden also used the speech to highlight his own foreign policy experience, saying that the country needs a leader who can assure its allies "on Day One" that the United States will keep its word.

"I’m going to say something very self-serving: This is something I know a lot about. I spent a lot of time in that area, I know all these leaders, I’ve been engaged. Because that’s my job," Biden said in an improvised riff that was not part of his prepared speech.

Biden also praised the Obama administration's strategy of using a few hundred American troops to work with local fighters to fight ISIS, a strategy he said Trump was imitating until he decided to withdraw those troops this month.

"The strategy was so successful it turned out that Trump’s secret plan to defeat ISIS — you remember that — secret plan to defeat ISIS was just to keep doing what we had put in place. Until last week," he said.

Trump has faced bipartisan criticism for the withdrawal of troops, with the U.S. House voting overwhelmingly Wednesday afternoon to condemn the move.

"Republicans in Congress know how irresponsible this is," Biden said. "It’s about the only thing they’ve mustered enough backbone to criticize him on. That’s how outrageous it is — even Mitch McConnell knows he’s wrong."

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

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