Joe Biden was forced to interrupt his retreat to Camp David on Monday and return to the White House to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. His message to Americans was clear: he was not backing down.
In his first public remarks since the Taliban took control of Kabul and American television screens were filled with images of hasty evacuations and panicked Afghan citizens, the US president showed no signs of changing course — or accepting blame.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said, defending his administration’s withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan nearly two decades after they first arrived. “I have learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.”