CNN’s Jeff Zeleny: Biden ‘More in Command’ Than He Has Been All Week, Speech Was to ‘Get On Offense’ on Afghanistan

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny said on Friday that Joe Biden’s speech on Afghanistan moments ago showed that the president was “more in command” than he has been in earlier remarks, and that Biden’s goal was to “get on offense” about the fallout from Taliban’s rapid takeover Afghanistan.

CNN Newsroom co-host Victor Blackwell teed up Zeleny by mentioning the Biden made remarks about the situation in Afghanistan on Monday and did an interview with ABC News mid-week.

“What did you make of the tone, and did he accomplish the goal that he was set out to accomplish today?” asked Blackwell.

“Victor, I think there’s no question that President Biden was more in command of this chaos in Afghanistan than we have seen him really for more than a week, publicly,” responded Zeleny. “He said very clearly, any American who wants to come home will be able to come home and then authorized, saying he will use any resources necessary and left the door open to the possibility of staying beyond his self-imposed deadline, and actually left several other spaces open for command decisions on the ground there as [CNN Pentagon reporter] Barbara [Starr] was mentioning.”

Zeleny continued:

So perhaps more has been gone on than the military leaders have left us to believe. But for the president’s point of view, one goal I’ve been told by White House officials was to try and get off his heels, if you will, to try and get on offense and show that they are indeed in control of this.

But he also said at the outset that this is still a very dangerous operation. He made that very clear, and with an uncertain ending. So, without question, this is a president that we’ve really not seen for the last several days. He’s refused a couple different times to take questions on this, so again, trying to at least reset the conversation, and he did say, there will be time for second guessing later.

And of course there will be. But by standing there in the East Room with, of course, his vice president, but as well, his top Pentagon commander, Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, making clear that he does have their full confidence and their support, so that was all by design to show that this president is indeed in charge of this.

Zeleny also mentioned Biden canceling his plans to go home to Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend, and instead staying at the White House, as what is happening in Afghanistan is “the biggest crisis of his presidency and it’s not over yet.”

Moments later, CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins said that Biden was “less defensive” than he has been on Afghanistan.

Watch above, via CNN.