OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
There are multiple crises happening in the United States and the world right now and a strong leader is needed to address them.
Unfortunately for our nation, we have Joe Biden.
With Americans still left behind in Afghanistan, as one general described as causing ‘heartbreak,’ and devastation from Hurricane Ida still ravaging Louisiana and the northeast, Biden is getting out of town for a weekend trip to his home in Delaware, The Daily Mail reported.
The president was scheduled to visit his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware two weeks ago but had his trip pushed back due to the withdrawal from Afghanistan and Hurricane Henri.
But after touring the devastation of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, Biden decided now was time to take a break back home for the holiday weekend.
The move was slammed by Republicans who called the president out for flying home in the midst of the crisis in Afghanistan, where hundreds of citizens and allies have been left behind, due to the botched withdrawal and evacuation from the country.
“American citizens are still stranded behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and meanwhile Joe Biden is vacationing in Delaware,” former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said in a tweet.
“Joe Biden left Americans hostage in Afghanistan. No speech, press release, or Biden family vacation in Delaware can change that,” he said.
Joe Biden left Americans hostage in Afghanistan.
No speech, press release, or Biden family vacation in Delaware can change that.
— Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) September 2, 2021
“Joe Biden will be spending his weekend on vacation in Delaware. Roughly 100 Americans will be spending their weekend abandoned in Afghanistan,” Rep. Mo Brooks said.
Joe Biden will be spending his weekend on vacation in Delaware.
Roughly 100 Americans will be spending their weekend abandoned in Afghanistan.
— Mo Brooks – Endorsed By President Trump 🇺🇸 (@MoBrooks) September 3, 2021
“Joe Biden is a career politician who’s only ever worked in D.C. For the rest of us, we are responsible for the equipment we use at work. If we lose it, we pay for it. Biden lost $85 billion in military equipment and then left for vacation. Congress must hold him accountable!” New York Rep. Claudia Tenney said.
Joe Biden is a career politician who’s only ever worked in D.C.
For the rest of us, we are responsible for the equipment we use at work. If we lose it, we pay for it.
Biden lost $85 billion in military equipment and then left for vacation. Congress must hold him accountable!
— Claudia Tenney (@claudiatenney) September 4, 2021
His trip comes after White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted, talking to the press on Air Force One, that the administration is facing “multiple crises.”
“Well, let me just say, I know there’s been a lot of polls and conversations about, you know, the different multiple crises the president has to deal with right now. But […] this is the role of the president, right?, to make sure that we keep working. We have addressed multiple crises at the same time,” she said.
But if there are multiple crises, and there are, then why is Biden heading on vacation?
Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that there are still Americans stuck in Afghanistan after the evacuation of the United States military and civilians.
“We believe there are still a small number of Americans, under 200 and likely closer to 100, who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave. We’re trying to determine exactly how many,” he said in a press conference on Monday.
U.S. Central Command leader Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie said that some Americans were not able to make it to the Kabul airport.
“We maintained the ability to bring them in up until immediately before departure, but we were not able to bring any Americans out,” he said. “None of them made it to the airport and were able to be accommodated.”
“I believe that we’re going to get those people out. I think we’re also going to negotiate very hard and very aggressively to get our other Afghan partners out,” the general said. “Our desire to bring these people out remains as intense as it was before.”
He said that he did not believe the United States military would have been able to get everyone evacuated even if they stayed past Biden’s August 31 deadline.
“There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. but I think if we stayed another 10 days … we wouldn’t have gotten everybody out that we wanted to get out, and there still would have been people who would have been disappointed with that,” he said.
