President Joe Biden spoke Monday about his foreign policy achievements, delivering a self-congratulatory address in the Ben Franklin Room at the State Department. During his speech, he defended his approach to Afghanistan, prompting outrage from families of Americans killed in the 2021 Kabul suicide bombing during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden stated, “In my view, it was time to end the war and bring our troops home, and we did.” He claimed, “By ending the war, we’ve been able to focus our energy and resources on our urgent challenges.” Biden further suggested that continuing the war would have played into the hands of Russia and China, saying, “Ending the war was the right thing to do, and I believe history will reflect that.”
The president acknowledged the service members who lost their lives during the withdrawal but did not specifically reference the Kabul attack, which killed 13 American service members.
BIDEN: “I put together one of the most competent foreign policy teams in American history.”
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) January 13, 2025
From the Afghanistan withdrawal to Ukraine to Israel… it's been war, chaos, and destruction.
Competent at lighting the world on fire. ????????♂️pic.twitter.com/vQMlPf2Edo
Darin Hoover, father of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, who died in the bombing, expressed anger at Biden’s comments. “It blows my mind that he is taking credit for ending the war and being proud of it!!!” Hoover said in a statement reported by the Daily Mail.
“WE LOST OUR KIDS for him to think that history will reflect him as this great human being when he is Satan to me,” Hoover wrote, adding, “He’s a disgusting man who holds ZERO integrity or any respect in my mind and has no idea how it feels to be in our shoes, especially when the withdrawal happened the way it did. There was NO need for it to happen that way.”
I pray that Pres Trump gives the parents of the fallen soldiers from the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle a proper ceremony for their sacrifice. I bet he won't check his watch once.
— Michelle #AmericaFirst (@MichelleRM68) January 13, 2025
"There are no more actions that Biden could take to devastate our country more than he's done."???? pic.twitter.com/ramF8ogazL
Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, who also died in the bombing, expressed similar frustrations. “So sad. Disappointed to see the same head-in-the-sand mentality,” Shamblin said. “Terrorist attacks are happening. It has absolutely taken Afghanistan back to Taliban rule and armed terrorist groups. Claiming success no one else can see. He should have said NOTHING.”
She also emphasized the need for a shift in focus: “We need problem solving for our national security, not hiding behind Ukraine relief and railroads in Africa.”
Today, President Biden made a last-ditch effort to whitewash his disastrous foreign policy record and rewrite his legacy. He brazenly claimed the U.S. is stronger and our adversaries weaker than when he gained office. But Americans will not forget it was his administration’s…
— Michael McCaul (@RepMcCaul) January 13, 2025
The families of the fallen have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with Biden’s handling of the withdrawal and his framing of it as a success. They argue it has weakened U.S. alliances and emboldened adversaries, while leaving Afghanistan as a haven for terrorism.
This report highlights the continued tension between the administration and those who lost loved ones during the controversial end to the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan.
