Biden Says He Thinks U.S. Will Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan By Next Year

President Joe Biden told reporters at his first White House press conference that he believes the United States will withdraw troops from Afghanistan by next year.

Biden opened by admitting that, “It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline,” adding, “Just in terms of tactical reasons, hard to get those troops out.”

Biden faces a May 1 deadline because of a deal the Trump administration made with and the Taliban last year, but while the president admitted not all troops will be out in roughly one month, they will be out of Afghanistan soon.

“So, what we’ve been doing, what I have been doing, and what Secretary [Antony] Blinken has been, we’ve been meeting with our allies, those other nations that have NATO allies that have troops in Afghanistan as well, and if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way,” he said, adding that Blinken is in Brussels this week meeting with NATO allies.

“But it is not my intention to stay there for a long time, but the question is, how and in what circumstances do we meet that agreement that was made by President Trump to leave under a deal that looks like it’s not being able to be worked out to begin with, how’s that done,” he said. “But we’re not staying a long time.”

Wall Street Journal White House reporter Ken Thomas then asked Biden if the troops would still be in Afghanistan next year.

“I can’t picture that being the case,” the president responded.

This is not the first time Biden vowed to pull out the troops. In a 2010 interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, while he was Vice President, Biden said, “We’re starting it in July of 2011, and we’re going to be totally out of there—come hell or high water—by 2014.”

Watch above, via CNN.