Former President Donald Trump called on President Biden to “resign in disgrace” as the Taliban moved to control Afghanistan in response to the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Mr. Trump said the mess in the Middle East is among the mounting list of problems facing the country that have gotten worse on Mr. Biden‘s watch.
“It is time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan, along with the tremendous surge in COVID, the Border catastrophe, the destruction of energy independence, and our crippled economy,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Biden blamed Mr. Trump over the weekend for setting the stage for the disaster, saying in a statement the peace agreement “inherited” from Mr. Trump when he took office “left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on U.S. Forces.”
“I faced a choice — follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our Forces and our allies’ Forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country’s civil conflict,” he said. “I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan — two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.”
Republicans, however, say Mr. Biden blew it by never forcing the Taliban to follow through on their side of the conditions-based withdrawal deal — paving the way for the insurgent group to take over the capital city and return to power two decades after being ousted by the U.S.
“What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary,” Mr. Trump said. “It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history!”
