Speaking two hours after scheduled time from the East Room of the White House Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden called the catastrophic exit from Afghanistan, where 13 U.S. service members were killed and hundreds of Americans were left stranded, as an "extraordinary success."
"My fellow Americans, the war in Afghanistan is over," Biden said.
The war officially ended on Monday and was announced by the Pentagon. At the time Biden released a statement, which was emailed to the press, and waited 24 hours to address the nation.
BIDEN: The evacuation mission was an "extraordinary success." pic.twitter.com/3I1oYks475
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 31, 2021
Biden also placed blame for Americans left behind in the country not on a hasty, chaotic exit as the Taliban took over, but on the Americans clamoring to get out in recent weeks. He explained how Americans still in the country will have to rely on the United Nations and the Taliban to get out.
Biden reassures Americans stranded in Afghanistan that a U.N. Security Council Resolution will help to guarantee that the Taliban will ensure Americans' "freedom to travel" from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/unkOoxFWaO
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 31, 2021
BIDEN: Only "90% of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave." pic.twitter.com/wgby6TkDFM
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 31, 2021
Further, Biden claimed there was no way to prevent the chaos that played out over the past two weeks.
"There is no evacuation from the end of a war that you can run without the kind of complexities, challenges and threats we faced. None," Biden said, falsely blaming former President Donald Trump for the plan.
Joe Biden continues to blame Donald Trump for what has happened in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/MVWk5xFS4R
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 31, 2021
In July, Biden said it was "unlikely" the Taliban would take over the country.
"The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely," Biden said during a press conference on July 8.
On preventing future terrorist attacks on the United States, Biden said those who engage will be "hunted down."