Biden Lauds Afghan Exit, Says He’s Leaving Trump ‘Strong Hand to Play’
President Biden delivered his final address from the State Department on Monday, reflecting on American foreign policy and national security as his term draws to a close, with President-elect Trump set to return to office in one week.
While Biden avoided directly naming his successor, he alluded to both the outgoing and incoming Trump administrations, stating that he is leaving behind a “strong hand to play.”
During the address, Biden highlighted several nations he considers critical to U.S. geopolitical security and revisited the controversial withdrawal from Afghanistan early in his presidency. The chaotic pullout has been among the most criticized decisions of his administration.
The withdrawal culminated in a devastating ISIS-K attack at Abbey Gate during the Kabul airport evacuation, killing 11 Marines, two U.S. Army soldiers, a Navy Corpsman, and approximately 170 Afghan civilians on August 26, 2021. “[I am] the first president in decades who’s not leaving a war in Afghanistan to his successor,” Biden said to State Department staff.
Biden also revisited the 2011 mission that killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden during the Obama administration, emphasizing his belief that large troop deployments were unnecessary when he took office.
Prior to Biden’s presidency, the Trump administration had initiated talks with the Taliban, resulting in a period of nearly one year without U.S. military casualties. Trump had campaigned on a plan to withdraw U.S. forces in a more orderly manner, according to former officials involved in the negotiations.
Biden defended his decision, saying, “So when I took office, I had a choice—only I saw no reason to keep thousands of servicemen in Afghanistan. In my view, it was time to end the war and bring our troops home, and we did.”
In response to criticism, Biden argued, “Remember, critics said if we ended the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign-directed terrorism out of a safe haven in Afghanistan. Neither has occurred.” He further asserted, “Our alliances have stayed strong, we’ve used our over-the-horizon capabilities of striking Afghanistan and elsewhere when we had to.”
Biden concluded by stressing the need to focus on ongoing challenges from adversaries like Russia and China, adding that Russia remains “bogged down with a grinding war in Ukraine.”
WATCH:
The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan continues to draw intense scrutiny. Families of service members killed in the attack have voiced their frustration and anger on multiple occasions.
Mark Schmitz, whose son, Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, died in the Kabul attack, blamed Biden during a 2023 interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Story” with Martha MacCallum. He criticized Biden for dismissing advice from advisers who cautioned against the withdrawal plan. “He flat-out ignored it, simply for, I believe, that September 11 original date that he wanted to have as the deadline and moved it up to the 31st,” Schmitz said. “And then turns around and has the audacity to blame Trump for everything.”
Schmitz continued, “There were so many incredible mistakes made during this entire situation, starting with Bagram. The fact that I sat there and listened to Biden boast about this being a success, the only [thing] he said right there was the bravery of our men and women that were over there. They were tasked with something completely impossible.”
Other grieving families have expressed similar sentiments. Paula Knauss Selph, the mother of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Christian Knauss, said, “The administration failed us. He should resign.”
Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee, described the situation as “a knife in the heart for our families.” She added, “Our leaders, including the Secretary of Defense and our Commander in Chief, called this evacuation a success as if there should be a celebration.”
Carol Briseno, the mother of Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, echoed the call for accountability, saying, “I would say he needs to resign.”