Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the third anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan on Monday to blame his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, for the chaotic pullout. Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the 13 servicemembers killed during the withdrawal, and later in Detroit, he accused Harris, the vice-president, and President Joe Biden of a "catastrophic" withdrawal. "Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect worldwide," Trump said in an address to the National Guard Association of the United States. This is the latest attempt by Trump and his campaign to question Harris's fitness to serve as commander-in-chief as the November 5 election approaches, especially after Harris recently declared herself ready to lead the nation's armed forces.
The US troop withdrawal and evacuation in August 2021 saw desperate Afghans attempting to enter Kabul airport and men clinging to aircraft as they moved down runways. A Daesh suicide bomber killed 13 US servicemembers and over 150 Afghans outside an airport gate. Harris's campaign attributed the blame to Trump's presidency. "The Biden-Harris administration inherited a mess from Donald Trump," said Ammar Moussa, a Harris spokesperson. "Trump wants America to forget that he had four years to exit Afghanistan but failed to do so." A 2023 review by the US State Department criticized both the Trump and Biden administrations for their roles in the withdrawal.
In recent weeks, Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, have tried to portray Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz's long military service as a political liability. The Republicans have accused Walz of inflating his rank in the Army National Guard, where he served for 24 years. Walz described himself as a retired command sergeant major, one of the highest noncommissioned officer positions in the Army, although he did not meet the requirements to retire with that title. The Harris campaign removed a reference to Walz's rank as a "command sergeant major" from its website and now states that Walz "misspoke" in 2018 about carrying "weapons of war" during his gubernatorial campaign in Minnesota, despite never being deployed to a war zone.
Trump, 78, never served in the military, receiving multiple deferments during the Vietnam War due to student status and a health issue. Vance served in the Marine Corps for four years as a combat correspondent, deployed to Iraq for about seven months, primarily writing reports for public dissemination and occasionally interacting with the media. The Harris campaign highlighted remarks Trump made at a recent press conference, where he stated that the Presidential Medal of Freedom is superior to the Medal of Honor, an award given to military personnel by Congress. A spokesperson for Harris called Trump's remarks an "insult" to the recipients of the award.
Harris told CNN in 2021 that she was the last person in the room with Biden when he decided to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, expressing comfort with his decision. Both Biden and Harris issued statements commemorating the anniversary on Monday. "These 13 devoted patriots represent the best of America, putting our beloved nation and their fellow Americans above themselves and deploying into danger to keep their fellow citizens safe," Harris said. During her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris declared herself ready to assume the role of commander-in-chief, stating, "I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world."
