Trump Says Biden's 'Surrender' to the Taliban 'Destroyed Confidence' in American Power
Former President Donald Trump continued his attacks on his predecessor's exit strategy from Afghanistan, saying that the country falling to the Taliban has hurt America's image in the world's eye.
Afghanistan plunged into chaos after America's retreat, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country and the American embassy being evacuated by helicopter.
Afghanistan has become a hotbed for criticism of Biden as some draw comparisons to Vietnam and warn the Taliban's takeover could increase threats of terrorist attacks on the United States.
On Monday, Trump said in a statement that the withdrawal would have been "totally different" if he had been in charge. He added that Biden's "surrender" to the Taliban, "destroyed confidence in American power and influence."
Biden promised the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, where forces have been for more than two decades, would be responsible, deliberate and safe. He rejected comparisons to Vietnam, telling reporters on July 8 that there would be "no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy," as was the case in Saigon. At the time, Biden also said the likelihood of the Taliban "overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely."
Weeks later, military forces engaged in a hasty evacuation of the American embassy in Kabul as the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took over the capital.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also denied the evacuation of the Kabul embassy was akin to what happened in Vietnam, telling ABC's This Week, it is "manifestly not Saigon." He also called it "wrong" to think that America could have maintained the status quo by keeping forces there past the May 1 deadline the Trump administration established.
Had Biden decided to keep forces in Afghanistan past the May 1 deadline, Blinken said he believed the Taliban would have resumed attacks on American forces and we "would have been back at war with the Taliban."
A now-deleted page from the Republican National Committee's website praised Trump for negotiating a deal with the Taliban. In exchange for the withdrawal of troops, the agreement said the Taliban would "not allow Afghanistan to be used for transnational terrorism."
Trump initially criticized Biden for putting a September 11 deadline on withdrawing troops, saying "we can and should get out earlier." He called pulling out of the country a "wonderful and positive thing to do" and that the U.S. should stay as close to the May 1 schedule as possible.
Months later, Trump said Biden should "resign in disgrace" for what transpired in Afghanistan.
On Saturday, Biden said Trump's agreement with the Taliban left him with little choice. He noted that he could either follow through with the withdrawal of troops or "ramp up" America's military presence by sending more troops to fight in "another country's civil conflict."
