Former President Donald Trump described the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden as “the most embarrassing day in the history” of the United States.
Defending his own Afghanistan policy, Trump asserted that he had intended to end the longest American war with dignity. “I was getting out of Afghanistan, but we were getting out with dignity, with strength, with power,” Trump said during a presidential debate.
His comments came in response to Biden’s critique that Trump had failed to address ongoing violence in Afghanistan. “He didn’t do anything about that,” Biden said.
The U.S. completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 after 20 years of conflict. The exit was marked by chaos, including a suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate that killed dozens of civilians and 13 American soldiers.
Trump also faced criticism for his policies on Afghanistan, with some suggesting they emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack Ukraine. Trump argued that Biden should have dismissed the military generals involved in what he termed Afghanistan’s “horror show.”
