The First Lady Jill Biden took to social media on Tuesday to defend her husband after the country of Afghanistan descended into chaos as he withdrew troops.
“My heart is with all the families of those who served and sacrificed in Afghanistan for the last 20 years,” Jill began. She then quoted her husband as she wrote, “As the President said, ‘I cannot – and I will not – ask our troops to fight on endlessly in another country’s civil war – taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken by grief and loss.’”
“…in another country’s civil war – taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken by grief and loss.” (2/3)
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) August 16, 2021
“If you are hurting today and need to talk to someone, the Military Crisis Line offers free, confidential support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for service members, veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors. Call 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255,” she continued.
If you are hurting today and need to talk to someone, the Military Crisis Line offers free, confidential support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for service members, veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors. Call 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255. (3/3)
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) August 16, 2021
This came after President Joe Biden tried to defend himself in an address from the White House on Monday night.
“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,” Biden said, according to CNBC. “I am president of the United States of America. The buck stops with me.”
However, Biden also admitted that he had not seen this all coming.
“The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we anticipated,” Biden said of the swift offensive carried out by the Taliban.
Despite this, Biden doesn’t seem to have any regrets.
“I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to a future president,” Biden said.
The president then addressed American troops directly, saying, “I want to acknowledge how painful this is to so many of us. The scenes we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people.”
“For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, and for Americans who have fought and served in the country, serve our country in Afghanistan. This is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well,” he continued, referring to his late son Beau, who was deployed to Iraq for a year and died of cancer in 2015.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.
I still ask the question–why didn’t our leader take the advice of the military leaders to leave a small group in place to monitor activities on the ground? And why didn’t evacuation of civilians, military personnel and the over 7 billion dollars worth of military equipment take place before withdrawal?? I think even an arm chair observer could have made better decisions.