‘Excuse Me Sir, What?’ Biden Denounced on Twitter for Saying There’s ‘No Indication’ Taliban are Stopping Americans from Escaping

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President Joe Biden faced stark criticism from pundits following his press briefing on Afghanistan, many reporters slamming his claim that Americans are not struggling to leave the country.
“We have no indication that they haven’t been able to get in Kabul through the airport. We’ve made an agreement with the Taliban. Thus far they’ve allowed them to go through. It’s in their interest to let them go through,” he said on Friday, adding that the Taliban are “letting through people showing American passport.”
While Biden has resumed the temporarily paused flights leaving Afghanistan, the claim that there is “no indication” that Americans have difficulties leaving the country does not match chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport.
CNN’s Clarissa Ward, who has been on the ground in Afghanistan, fact-checked Biden’s assertion on air, saying it’s been “very difficult” for Americans to access the airport.
Ward’s previous reporting at the scene has also highlighted how dangerous and difficult it has been for those with visas and green cards to get into the airport and evacuate.
Talking heads on Twitter were quick to decry the claim, some also faulting him for maintaining that he has not seen any criticism from American allies, despite clear critiques from world leaders.
“We have no indication they cannot get through to the airport from Kabul.”
Excuse me, sir, what?
— John T. Bennett (@BennettJohnT) August 20, 2021
Watch the great @IanPannell dismantle Biden’s claims that US citizens merely need to show a US passport to get to the airport in Kabul. https://t.co/PBa6KEVBHy
— Terry Moran ?? (@TerryMoran) August 20, 2021
Lots of comparisons between Trump and Biden in recent days, many of which wide of the mark. This statement, however, matched some of Trump’s worst self-delusion. https://t.co/xOGsk2ggmZ
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) August 20, 2021
“No indication Americans can’t get to the airport” @POTUS
Simply not accurate https://t.co/zxfaehcENr
— Ian Pannell (@IanPannell) August 20, 2021
Every time Biden faces questions about the way the US withdrawal was executed, he pivots to his rationale for the withdrawal — not HOW it was executed
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) August 20, 2021
War is chaos. Ending war is chaos. But Afghans in Kabul I’m talking to have *specific* questions about why this one piece — airport evacuations — has become so dangerous and inhumane.
— amna (@IAmAmnaNawaz) August 20, 2021
Biden 04/14: “We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit. We’ll do it responsibly, deliberately, and safely”.
Biden 08/19: “The idea that somehow there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens”.
— Raquel Krähenbühl (@Rkrahenbuhl) August 20, 2021
This Presser Is Not Going Very Well For @POTUS Especially When He Talks About Negotiating With The Taliban. It Seems That The President & Team Are Not Looking At The Same Media Coverage We See From Kabul Airport Especially From @clarissaward @CNN pic.twitter.com/aZoOa5AS1K
— Jon-Christopher Bua ?? ? (@JCBua) August 20, 2021
Biden was asked about allies questioning “America’s credibility on the world stage.” The president responded, “I have seen no questioning of our credibility from our allies around the world.”
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) August 20, 2021
Biden denies allies are questioning US credibility amid Afghanistan withdrawalhttps://t.co/x5tGu77HLG
— AlexGangitano (@AlexGangitano) August 20, 2021
As for the security of the airport, this doesn’t look secure. https://t.co/mKAzaKplhO
— Lauren Katzenberg (@Lkatzenberg) August 20, 2021
But the #newtone doesn’t obscure the obvious discrepancy in Biden claiming he’ll keep his promise to Afghan allies and acknowledging Taliban is only allowing US passport holders into the airport.
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) August 20, 2021
Biden took questions from only five reporters: AP, Bloomberg, ABC, PBS, and NPR.
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) August 20, 2021
Props to @scottdetrow for holding the president accountable on his airport answer
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 20, 2021
I am in no way reassured by Biden presser
— Debra J. Saunders (@debrajsaunders) August 20, 2021
Kamala shuffles her feet and looks at the ground as Biden loses himself in another question
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 20, 2021
Joe Biden literally says “knock on wood” regarding the evacuation plans in Afghanistan
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 20, 2021
“We got all kinds of cables. All kinds of advice,” says Joe Biden re the State Department dissent cable.
“I made the decision. The buck stops with me.”
And then blames “consensus” of intelligence divisions
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 20, 2021
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