“When I became president, Afghanistan had replaced Vietnam as America’s longest war. I was determined to end it, and I did.”
In his final speech to the United Nations as president, Joe Biden told the General Assembly Tuesday that he thinks about the 13 American service members killed in the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan “every day.”
“When I became president, Afghanistan had replaced Vietnam as America's longest war. I was determined to end it, and I did. It was a hard decision, but the right decision. Four American presidents had faced that decision, but I was determined not to leave it to the fifth. It was a decision, accompanied by tragedy: 13 brave Americans lost their lives, along with hundreds of Afghans in a suicide bomb. I think of those lost lives. I think of them every day,” Biden said
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View on XBiden did not speak about former President Donald Trump in the speech nor how the withdrawal from Kabul has been a lingering source of discontentment among Americans and a reason for Biden's favor among voters dropping low just months into his term, the Daily Mail noted.
"I think of their service, their sacrifice and their heroism. I know other countries lost their own men and women fighting alongside us. We honor their sacrifices as well," Biden said.
A report released earlier in September by the House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul revealed that the Biden-Harris administration had prioritized the optics of withdrawing from Afghanistan over the security of those on the ground in their decision to pull troops from the country.
The committee had done an investigation into the withdrawal, concluding that the administration "prioritized the optics of the withdrawal over the security of US personnel on the ground. For that reason, they failed to plan for all contingencies, including a noncombatant emergency evacuation (NEO) and refused to order a NEO until after the Taliban had already entered Kabul."
During his speech, Biden also spoke on his July decision to drop out of the race. He dropped out in late July after increasing pressure from those within his party following his dismal debate performance against Trump in June.
"This summer, I faced a decision whether to seek a second term as president. It was a difficult decision. Being president has been the honor of my life. There’s so much more I want to get done. And as much as I love the job, I love my country more," he said.
"I decided after more than 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward."
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