After President Joe Biden reportedly caved to Taliban threats Tuesday and pledged to honor the August 31 withdrawal deadline for U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, Republicans blasted Biden’s “weakness” and “incompetence,” accusing the president of allowing “barbaric” Islamic Taliban terrorists to “call the shots” by “dictating foreign policy,” while calling for his immediate resignation.
Former President Donald Trump was quick to blast the president, writing that “Biden surrendered Afghanistan to terrorists and left thousands of Americans for dead” upon the administration’s decision to not extend the August 31 evacuation deadline at the Taliban’s guidance.
“Biden surrendered Afghanistan to terrorists and left thousands of Americans for dead by pulling out the Military before our citizens. Now we are learning that out of the 26,000 people who have been evacuated, only 4,000 are Americans,” he continued.
“You can be sure the Taliban, who are now in complete control, didn’t allow the best and the brightest to board these evacuation flights.”
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s weakness on display,” wrote Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). “It’s unacceptable that we’ve gotten to a place where American-murdering terrorists are dictating our foreign policy.”
“President Biden should commit to staying in Afghanistan until we have rescued every American citizen & those Afghans who risked their lives for American troops,” wrote Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who served in Afghanistan.
“Instead, he intends to abandon stranded Americans to appease the Taliban and meet his own arbitrary political deadline,” he added. “Joe Biden’s impotence leaves Americans in harm’s way and dishonors our entire nation.”
“Americans need to know: The Biden administration has failed you at every level,” wrote Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
“Everyone involved left tens of thousands Americans behind to be the Taliban’s hostages,” she added. “Every single one, especially Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, should resign. Immediately.”
“The world just witnessed the President of the United States take orders from a band of barbaric terrorists while ignoring the pleas of our international allies and American citizens he will leave behind,” wrote Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), a former Navy SEAL who was wounded in action during his third deployment in Afghanistan, losing his right eye to an improvised explosive device (IED).
“Joe Biden is a coward,” he added.
“By refusing to extend the self-imposed Aug 31st deadline, President Biden is potentially turning this disaster into something far worse. It could turn deadly for US citizens left behind,” Crenshaw wrote in another tweet.
“I don’t care what the Taliban says, fight for our people until the job is done,” he added.
“Joe Biden set a hard deadline with no plan in place to get Americans and our Afghan partners out by that deadline — and now he’s letting the Taliban call the shots,” wrote Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
Calling Biden “a threat to our national security,” she also accused him of having “empowered the Taliban.”
“Joe Biden just caved to the Taliban’s August 31 deadline,” wrote former White House Chief of Staff Mark Mark Meadows.
“If President Trump were there, the ‘deadline’ would’ve been the day every single American is home—and not a second before,” he added. “And you can bet there would’ve been repercussions for the Taliban otherwise.”
“This is outrageous,” wrote Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
“The Taliban demanded all U.S. troops be out by August 31. And now Biden confirms that’s his plan. Even though Americans are still stranded. The President of the United States of America is now taking orders from the Taliban,” he continued.
“What an absolute disgrace,” he added.
“Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal stranded Americans in Afghanistan,” wrote Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO).
“After August 31, he’ll officially abandon them,” she added. “Disgraceful.”
In another tweet, the congresswoman dubbed Democrat leadership “a disaster” while calling on the president to resign.
“President Biden’s August 31 deadline is not arbitrary… That’s when the Taliban are demanding U.S. troops leave Kabul,” wrote Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT).
“This should go without saying, but the U.S. Commander in Chief should not take orders from terrorists,” he added.
“Biden agreeing to the Taliban’s timetable of withdrawal by August 31 is a sign of utter weakness and total incompetence,” wrote Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL).
“He’s letting the Taliban dictate what our military does. Some commander-in-chief… What a disgrace!” he added.
“Thousands of Americans are STRANDED behind enemy lines in Afghanistan and President Biden says he won’t extend military presence beyond August 31. This is disgraceful,” wrote Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY).
“As I told @morningswithmaria, the U.S. must do everything to bring these Americans home,” he added.
“I fear Afghanistan is only going to get worse, especially after 8/31,” warned Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX).
“Americans are STRANDED and the Biden White House is either too incompetent or too WEAK to evacuate them,” he continued.
“If he can’t do his job, he needs to resign NOW before this gets much worse. American lives are at stake!” he added.
“Biden is WEAK. The Taliban intimidated him, and he fell apart,” he wrote in another tweet. “Now it’s likely we’ll have American HOSTAGES stranded after 8/31.”
“WEAKEST President in American history! #Resign,” he added.
“Joe Biden is caving to the Taliban rather than ensuring every single American gets safely home from Afghanistan,” wrote Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
“America should never cave to the terrorists’ arbitrary timeline!!!” she added.
“I can’t believe what a coward Joe Biden has turned out to be,” wrote former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley.
“The idea that we would leave Americans or our Afghan allies who helped our troops to die is sickening,” she added. “Our soldiers would do anything to save these people. Let them.”
“Biden should commit to evacuating every American safely – not cave to the demands of terrorists,” wrote Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
“The @POTUS has given into the Taliban a group of murdering thugs that only understands force,” wrote Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN). “This President has shown the world he has no courage. Our enemies are taking notice.”
“Biden’s surrender to the Taliban is now complete,” wrote former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA).
“He will leave Afghanistan on the Taliban time table even if it leaves Americans and allies stranded in the country. His humiliation and failure is now complete,” he continued.
“Worst moral collapse by an American President in our history,” he added.
Biden’s decision comes after Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday morning that the terrorists will accept “no extensions” to the August 31 deadline.
The deadline of August 31, six days from Tuesday, was not Biden’s original withdrawal deadline.
Biden broke the deal his predecessor, Donald Trump, negotiated with the Taliban to be out by May 1 of this year, extending the U.S. presence to September 11 before shortening it to the end of August.
If the evacuation of American citizens and the U.S. military had been completed by the original date, the evacuation would have been accomplished before the Afghan fighting season that occurs in the summer, avoiding the choice, warm months of fighting.
But politics perhaps played a part in the Biden and Harris administration’s decision to extend the war until late August or September.
Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are still stranded behind Taliban lines.
Reports indicate about 3,300 Americans have been evacuated since the collapse of Afghanistan. Other non-American citizens have also been evacuated to various countries including Qatar, where a report has surfaced about unsanitary conditions for the refugees.
Axios reported a leaked email Tuesday that depicts evacuees are living in a facility “awash with loose feces, urine, and a rat infestation.”
Spokesperson for U.S. Central Command William Urban said Axios that “We recognize this is a challenging and difficult situation” and the “current conditions in Doha are of our own doing.”
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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