Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the third anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to launch a scathing attack on his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, blaming her for the chaotic and deadly pullout. At a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump honored the 13 servicemembers killed during the US exit, before later delivering a fiery speech to the National Guard Association of the United States in Detroit.
Trump claimed that the withdrawal, which led to the collapse of American credibility and respect worldwide, was caused by Harris and President Joe Biden. He described the withdrawal as “catastrophic” and asserted that it had emboldened enemies and weakened the US’s global standing.
However, Harris’ campaign swiftly countered Trump’s accusations, arguing that the Biden-Harris administration had inherited a mess from Trump’s tenure as president. Ammar Moussa, a Harris spokesperson, pointed out that Trump had four years to withdraw from Afghanistan but failed to do so, leaving the Biden-Harris administration to deal with the consequences.
A review released by the US State Department in 2023 found fault with both the Trump and Biden administrations in the run-up to the withdrawal, highlighting a series of mistakes and miscalculations that contributed to the chaotic pullout.
Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, have recently sought to turn Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s decades of military service into a political vulnerability, questioning his fitness to serve as commander-in-chief.
The debate has sparked a heated exchange between the two campaigns, with each side accusing the other of mishandling the withdrawal and putting American lives at risk. As the November 5 election draws near, the issue of national security and foreign policy is likely to remain a key battleground.
