Biden Blames Trump, Local Leaders for Collapse of Afghanistan, Defends Withdrawal Decision

President Joe Biden says he stands “squarely behind” his decision to follow through on the peace agreement brokered by the Trump administration to withdraw U.S. troops from 🇦🇫Afghanistan.

During remarks at the White House on Monday, Biden addressed the collapse of 🇦🇫Afghanistan’s government and the chaotic scenes unfolding at the Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee the country.

“When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban,” Biden said as he noted that U.S. forces had drawn down from roughly 15,500 to 2,500, and that the Taliban was at its strongest since 2001.

He continued, “The choice I had to make, as your president, was either to follow through on that agreement, or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. There would have been no cease-fire after May 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1. There was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat.”

“I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way, that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces,” he added.

“The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. So, what’s happened? Afghan political leaders gave up and left the country. The Afghan military collapsed…If anything the developments of the past week reinforced that ending military involvement in