Former U.S. President Donald Trump used the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks to criticize Joe Biden's administration on Saturday for its "inefficiency" and to condemn the "horrific" U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump stated in a speech during a visit to the New York City Police Department's 17th precinct that "what happened is horrific." He continued, "It felt like we retreated, as if we surrendered," referring to the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last month following the Taliban's takeover of the country. He added, "We did not surrender, our people did not surrender, and certainly our soldiers did not surrender."
The U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan began in late 2001 after the attacks conducted by al-Qaeda on American soil targeting the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon near Washington. Al-Qaeda had found refuge in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, but the U.S. invasion ousted the group from power to track down the organization's leaders. However, the Taliban responded to the U.S. intervention with a rebellion, and after twenty years, they returned to power amid the completion of the U.S. troop withdrawal from the country.
During his presidency, Trump reached an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 that stipulated the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 2021, in exchange for security guarantees from the insurgents. However, the withdrawal took place under Biden, who postponed the exit date to August 31. The Taliban seized control of the capital, Kabul, as the Afghan government collapsed on August 15, which limited the timeframe for the withdrawal of the U.S. and its allies to two weeks. Kabul airport witnessed the largest air evacuation in history, marred by unfortunate incidents, as thousands of Afghans who had cooperated with Western countries rushed to the capital’s airport in fear of Taliban retaliation. Dozens of civilians and 13 U.S. soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing by ISIS.
On Saturday, Trump sent a video message saying, "It’s a very sad day," adding that September 11 represents "great sorrow for our country." He continued, "It is also a sad time for the way our war against those who caused such harm to our country ended last week." He stated, "Our leader started out looking like a fool, and that cannot be allowed to happen." He attributed this to "poor planning and enormous weakness and leaders who did not really understand what was happening." Trump declared, "Joe Biden and his incompetent administration surrendered to defeat." He added, "We will fight to recover from the embarrassment caused by this incompetence."
Trump did not participate in the official ceremonies held in New York to mark the anniversary of the attacks, which were attended by Biden and the former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Trump returned to Florida on Saturday, where he would comment on a match between former heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield and Brazilian mixed martial artist Vitor Belfort.
