Former Republican President Donald Trump called on his Democratic successor Joe Biden to resign on Sunday, citing the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan as well as what he deemed mismanagement of other issues such as the pandemic. Trump stated in a message, "It is time for Joe Biden to resign" due to the "shame of what he allowed to happen in Afghanistan, along with the huge increase in COVID cases, the border disaster, the destruction of energy independence, and our crippled economy." In another statement on Sunday, he remarked, "What Joe Biden has done in Afghanistan is legendary. It will become one of the greatest defeats in American history!"
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Afghanistan, acknowledged on Sunday evening that "the Taliban has won," while television footage showed the insurgents celebrating their "victory" from the presidential palace in Kabul. Nearly twenty years after being ousted from power, the Taliban's military victory is complete with the collapse of government forces in the absence of American support. On Sunday evening, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced on Twitter that "military units of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have entered the city of Kabul to ensure security."
Biden defended his decision to end the two-decade-long war in the country, stating on Sunday, "I am the fourth president to oversee an American military presence in Afghanistan... I do not want to pass this war on to a fifth president." Trump had blamed Biden on Thursday for the Taliban's military advance in Afghanistan, describing the current situation as "unacceptable." He stated, "If I were president now, the world would know that our withdrawal from Afghanistan is conditional." He added, "The withdrawal could have been different and more successful, and the Taliban knew that better than anyone else." He continued, "I had personal conversations with Taliban leaders, and they understood that what they are doing today would not be accepted."
