Trump vows to fire all officials tied to 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco after honoring fallen troops
DETROIT, MICHIGAN: At a National Guard Association conference held on Monday, August 26, former president Donald Trump vowed to hold accountable every senior military and diplomatic official involved in the disastrous withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
This came shortly after Trump honored the memory of 13 service members who lost their lives in an ISIS attack during the chaotic evacuation.
Trump blames Kamala Harris and Joe Biden
Addressing an audience that included part-time soldiers and their families in Detroit, Trump laid the blame for the failed withdrawal on Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.
“Caused by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world,” the 78-year-old declared, after wishing that “voters are going to fire Kamala and Joe on Nov 5, we hope.”
Trump outlined his plan to demand the resignations of all officials responsible for the Afghanistan debacle if he were to regain the presidency.
“And when I take office we will ask for the resignations of every single official,” he promised. “We’ll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity, to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day.”
“You know, you have to fire people. You have to fire people when they do a bad job,” Trump added. “You got to fire them like on ‘The Apprentice.’ You did a lousy job. You did a terrible, terrible disservice to our country. You get fired when that happens.”
Botched withdrawal from Afghanistan
The tragic incident occurred on August 26, 2021, when ISIS-K suicide bomber Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated an explosive vest outside the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The attack resulted in the deaths of service members and nearly 200 Afghans, marking the most devastating outcome of the hasty evacuation that left numerous US citizens and Afghan allies stranded to confront the Taliban-led Islamic fundamentalist regime.
Despite the catastrophic withdrawal, no military or government officials have been dismissed in response to the failure. A House Republican-led committee has heard testimonies suggesting that President Biden disregarded diplomatic advice by pushing for the pullout to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
A State Department report released in June of the previous year revealed that officials were unprepared to handle more than 125,000 evacuees at once because diplomatic personnel were instructed to “continue embassy operations, in the belief that the security situation would not deteriorate substantially in Kabul for several months at the earliest.”
Contrary to these expectations, the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan just over two weeks after the evacuation was announced, the New York Post reported.
Trump slams Joe Biden's inaction
Voicing his frustration with the current administration, Trump fumed: “Nobody ever gets fired in this administration. It’s amazing all the bad things that have happened. Nobody ever gets fired.”
He continued, “Problem is, when you fire somebody, they always end up writing a book about you. I’ve had more books written about me. I fire a lot of people when they don’t do a good job.”
Before Trump’s address, a video message from President Joe Biden elicited lukewarm applause from the conference attendees. In his message, Biden acknowledged the dedication of service members. “You all stepped up, you’re always there,” he said, before paying tribute to his late son Beau Biden, who served in the Delaware Army National Guard.
While Biden remained out of sight and on his second week of vacation on Monday, it was Trump who visited Arlington National Cemetery to honor the service members killed during the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Trump laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited section 60, where many soldiers who died in Afghanistan are buried. He was accompanied by the families of the fallen soldiers and two Marines injured in the Abbey Gate bombing—Cpl Kelsee Lainhart and Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews.
The somber visit also served as an opportunity for Trump to slam Harris and Biden for what he has repeatedly described as "the most embarrassing moment in our history," referring to the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We will never forget those brave warriors who made the supreme sacrifice for our country,” the former president declared, adding that “we will honor their memory by restoring a government that puts the American people first.”
Furthermore, Trump’s Arlington visit also countered news reports claiming he disrespects veterans. Trump has been accused of calling fallen World War II soldiers "suckers and losers" in the past, allegations he has vehemently denied.
