Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal After Taliban Takeover

In his first public remarks since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said he stood “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan on Monday. “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,” Biden said, adding, “I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference.” Biden admited that the Taliban’s advance “did unfold more quickly” than his administration had anticipated and said he accepted his “share of the responsibility for where we are today,” saying, “the buck stops with me.” On the current situation, Biden pledged that the U.S. military would continue to support the evacuation from Kabul airport of American citizens, civilian personnel, and Afghans who are eligible for special immigrant visas under Operation Allies Refuge. Biden did not take questions from reporters after his speech. 

Some homepage headlines varied sharply along partisan lines, most notably in CNN and Fox News, often differing from the actual headlines and content of articles. Some right-rated outlets framed their coverage around Biden purportedly shifting blame for the Taliban’s victory; some left-rated outlets framed their coverage around Biden’s “I stand squarely behind my decision” quote.