Three years after the final American soldiers in Afghanistan fled in a hastily organized retreat, former President Donald Trump traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to honor the members of 13 service members who died that day.

Ending the two-decade war was a top priority for President Joe Biden in his successful 2020 campaign, but questions remain about whether he rushed the decision in 2021 to pull all forces from Afghanistan before a peaceful transition of power could be established with governing authorities. Images of Kabul airport overrun with Afghans seeking refuge on the departing U.S. aircraft captured the minds of the public. During the chaos, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive killing 13 American soldiers and approximately 170 civilians. Those lives lost were reflected on by President Trump Monday morning as he helped soldiers lay a wreath on the graves of fallen service members.

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Stationed behind Trump were family members of the fallen who looked on as the former president laid his heart over his hand and stood stoically as “Taps” played overheard. The ceremony was relayed live by Fox News, and viewer Greg Price noted on X that President Biden was spending the day on vacation at the beach while Vice President Harris lists nothing on her schedule.

Trump shared his thoughts on the ceremony in a lengthy Truth Social post. “This is the third anniversary of the BOTCHED Afghanistan withdrawal, the most EMBARRASSING moment in the history of our Country,” he posted. “Gross Incompetence – 13 DEAD American soldiers, hundreds of people wounded and dead, AMERICANS and BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT LEFT BEHIND. You don’t take our soldiers out first, you take them out LAST, when all else is successfully done. Russia then invaded Ukraine, Israel was attacked, and the USA became, and is, a laughing stock all over the World.”

The 2021 withdrawal has become a moment akin to the 2013 attack on a U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Iraq when four Americans were killed: Ambassador Chris Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, and two CIA operatives, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. Subsequent investigations faulted Hillary Clinton, then the U.S. Secretary of State, for failing to heed warnings about looming protests which later overran the facility. President Trump made the deadly lapse of judgment a centerpiece of his successful 2016 campaign; while the Afghanistan withdrawal has not played as notable a role this year, Monday’s ceremony was a tacit acknowledgment that it remains a vulnerability for Harris, especially among military veterans and their families.

The vice president’s campaign is still reeling from allegations that Minnesota Gov. and running mate Tim Walz misrepresented his military service and purposefully skipped a deployment to Afghanistan. Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate and himself a Navy veteran, has ripped his opponent for running for Congress in 2006 on a military title that was rescinded over his decision to avoid deploying so he could continue his campaign. Conservative critics have gone further, accusing Walz of “stolen valor” and tying the admission to lies that he has made about his drunk driving arrest, penchant for spicy foods, and family struggles with infertility.

President Trump’s campaign has touted a number of high-profile military endorsements his third time around, including retired Air Force captain Scott O’Grady, Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia, and former U.S. Navy SEAL Michael E. Thornton, who also received the Medal of Honor.

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Congressman Brian Mast (R-FL) didn’t hold back as he accused CNN host Kaitlan Collins and her network of covering for the Biden-Harris administration, particularly criticizing their handling of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and bias against former President Donald Trump.

“They squandered the service of every veteran that served in Afghanistan because of that withdrawal because they failed to talk about the failures that exist there. They look at us as disposable.”

“Well, I’m not sure that’s fair to say, Congressman,” Collins retorted.

“When President Biden goes out onto a tarmac, checks his watch, they’re seeing us as disposable individuals,” Mast continued. “When they don’t calculate the cost of war for when you come home, right now, let’s talk about a factual thing. If you’re in the VA right now and you’re getting care for mental health counseling in the community, the Harris-Biden administration is trying to strip you of your community care. They want you to come back into the VA no matter the wait times.”

“But, Congressman, I think you can disagree with them on policy, disagree with them on the Afghanistan exit. We’ve had plenty of Republicans here who have. But to say that President Biden doesn’t appreciate military service, given his son, I think you would agree that’s an unfair comment,” Collins countered.

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However, Mast remained resolute, responding, “I wouldn’t say that at all. Given a work in pairing, you’re talking about words that is not fair. You’re talking about words of President Trump versus literal actions of the Biden administration again and I’ll use these words.”

Rep. Mast is a decorated U.S. military veteran who has represented Florida’s 21st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. Mast served in the U.S. Army as an explosive ordnance disposal technician during Operation Enduring Freedom. His service in Afghanistan in 2010 resulted in the loss of both his legs.

Biden faced significant criticism for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The pullout, which marked the end of a 20-year military presence, was marred by chaotic scenes at Kabul’s airport as desperate Afghans attempted to flee the country following the Taliban’s rapid takeover. Critics from both sides of the political spectrum argued that the withdrawal was poorly executed, leading to unnecessary loss of life and the abandonment of U.S. allies.

Republicans were particularly vocal, accusing Biden of incompetence and failing to anticipate the swift collapse of the Afghan government. They pointed to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members in a terrorist attack during the evacuation as evidence of mismanagement. Furthermore, concerns were raised about the equipment and weapons left behind, now in the hands of the Taliban.

Biden defended his decision, stating that he inherited a flawed deal from the Trump administration and that extending the war would have only prolonged the inevitable. Despite this, the images of chaos and the humanitarian crisis that followed have left a lasting stain on his presidency.

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President Joe Biden, in conjunction with Vice President Kamala Harris, promised to finally bring an end to America’s longest-ever war in Afghanistan. How they did it remains the subject of much debate, and a recent show of force by the Taliban is bringing that decision back to the forefront.

The rushed exit of Afghanistan by American troops in 2021 included the death of 13 service members at the Baghdad airport when a suicide bomber detonated their vest in a crowd of hundreds scrambling to board the final planes leaving the tarmac. Tragic scenes of locals clinging to the wheels of departing aircraft circulated around the globe, forcing President Biden to defend his reasons for pushing for a hasty departure. Vice President Harris stood by his decisions, previously telling CNN’s Dana Bash that she was the “last person in the room” with Biden as he weighed the pros and cons of a pullout.

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“President Biden always said that he wants you to be the last person in the room, particularly for big decisions just as he was” under former President Barack Obama, Bash stated in a sit-down interview with Harris shortly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. “Were you the last person in the room?” she asked the veep. “Yes … Yes, I do,” Harris replied when asked if she was “comfortable” with the decision.

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Those words are coming back to haunt Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee after the Taliban were seen parading tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military equipment left behind during the Afghanistan withdrawal. Video released by the terrorist group shows members, faces masked in black, driving fleets of military trucks while Mi-17 helicopters scooped overhead. Users on social media who obtained the video warned that it won’t be many years before the U.S. necessitates another war in the Middle East after the equipment left behind empowers the Taliban or others to commit a mass act of terrorism.

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Historically speaking, they’re correct. During the final years of the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia armed separate camps within the atavistic country. Former presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush chose to side with the Mujahideen, empowering them with an endless supply of anti-aircraft weaponry to shoot Russian aircraft out of the skies. However, America’s departure from Afghanistan created a void that allowed al-Qaeda to thrive, paving the way for Osama bin Laden to mastermind the attacks on 9/11.

Former President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Biden’s decision to withdraw troops so abruptly. “Biden’s botched exit from Afghanistan is the most astonishing display of gross incompetence by a nation’s leader, perhaps at any time,” Trump said at the time, adding he felt an exit was necessary but criticizes the way his former opponent went about it. “This is not a withdrawal. This was a total surrender.”

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