Vice President Kamala Harris defended her administration’s choice to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan whereas former President Donald Trump accused present army technique of main the nation in the direction of “World Conflict III” in Tuesday night time’s presidential debate in Philadelphia.
In a 90-minute showdown, which principally centered on financial and social points, the 2 front-runners for president spent a number of minutes sparring over protection coverage points, together with American army assist for Ukraine and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The latter subject has been a mainstay of Trump’s Republican presidential marketing campaign in current weeks. In the course of the debate, he falsely claimed that President Joe Biden’s choice to withdraw all U.S. troops from the nation in 2021 left behind $85 billion “of brand name new stunning army tools” — the U.S. army spent about $83 billion complete on the Afghanistan Safety Forces Fund from 2001 to 2021 — and asserted that he would have dealt with the departure higher than Biden.
“We might have been out sooner than them, however we wouldn’t have misplaced the troopers,” he mentioned, referring to the 13 U.S. troops killed in a terrorist assault at Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport within the closing days of the American presence in Afghanistan. “They blew it.”
Harris, the Democratic nominee for commander in chief, mentioned regardless of the tumult of the ultimate weeks of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, she agreed with Biden’s choice to withdraw from the nation.
“4 presidents mentioned they might, and Joe Biden did,” she mentioned. “And because of this, America’s taxpayers aren’t paying the $300 million a day we have been paying for that infinite warfare.”
She additionally blamed Trump for the chaos surrounding the U.S. army’s exit, saying he negotiated “one of many weakest offers you’ll be able to think about” with Taliban leaders earlier than leaving workplace, which left the Afghan authorities marginalized and weak.
Trump countered by claiming that Biden’s choice to depart Afghanistan impressed Russian officers to escalate their warfare in Ukraine, “as a result of they noticed how incompetent she and her boss are.”
When requested instantly if he needs Ukraine to win its warfare in opposition to Russia, Trump responded, “I need the warfare to cease. … I believe it’s within the U.S.’ greatest curiosity to get this warfare completed and simply get it finished.”
Harris referred to as {that a} signal of weak point within the face of international threats.
“If Donald Trump have been president, Putin can be sitting in Kyiv proper now,” she mentioned. “And perceive what that will imply. Putin’s agenda isn’t just about Ukraine. European allies and our NATO allies are so grateful that [he is] now not president and that we perceive the significance of the best army alliance the world has ever identified, which is NATO.”
Trump mentioned that if he returns to the White Home, he’ll finish the combating in Ukraine “earlier than even changing into president,” and accused Biden and Harris of main America in the direction of larger hazard by way of their assist of the Ukrainian army.
“We’re going to finish up in a 3rd World Conflict,” he mentioned. “And it is going to be a warfare like no different due to nuclear weapons, the ability of weaponry.”
Harris countered by saying the previous president is “persistently weak and unsuitable on nationwide safety.” On a number of events, she additionally claimed to have spoken to U.S. army leaders who referred to as Trump “a shame,” although she didn’t provide particular names.
Veterans and veterans points weren’t talked about in the course of the debate, the one face-to-face assembly between the 2 main occasion nominees earlier than the November election.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White Home for Army Instances. He has coated Washington, D.C. since 2004, specializing in army personnel and veterans insurance policies. His work has earned quite a few honors, together with a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 Nationwide Headliner Award, the IAVA Management in Journalism award and the VFW Information Media award.
