Former President Donald Trump laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of the 13 U.S. service members who died in Kabul during the Afghanistan withdrawal. Monday, Aug. 26, is the third anniversary of the suicide attack that killed the military members and 100 Afghans.
“These are people that should have never been killed,” Trump said after the wreath laying.
Now that President Joe Biden is out of the race, Trump is trying to tie the pullout and the bombing to Vice President Harris with this interview on CNN in April 2021:
Reporter: President Biden always said that he wants you to be the last person in the room, particularly for big decisions, just as he was for President Obama. He just made a really big decision: Afghanistan. Were you the last person in the room?
Harris: Yes.
Reporter: And you feel comfortable?
Harris: I do.
“Because of that event, we did so badly that Russia went in and invaded Ukraine,” Trump said to reporters after the ceremony. “Israel was attacked, as you know, on October 7th. People don’t respect us. They don’t respect us anymore as a country.”
Trump criticized both Biden and Harris on their foreign policy.
“We have a fascist person running who is incompetent,” Trump said. “And we have a president who’s not even around.”
Neither Biden nor Harris hosted an event to remember the soldiers killed.
Biden released a statement from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“These 13 Americans—and the many more that were wounded—were patriots in the highest sense,” the statement said. “Some were born the year the war in Afghanistan started. Some were on their second or third tour.”
Harris also released a statement.
“Today and everyday, I mourn and honor them,” the statement said. “My prayers are with their families and loved ones.”
Republicans tried to paint the military withdrawal and Abbey Gate explosion an example of the Biden administration’s foreign policy failures.
A Pew Research poll found that 54% of Americans believed it was the right decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. However, 69% said it was a failed mission and 42% said the Biden administration did a poor job of handling it, while 27% said good or excellent.
