George Stephanopoulos Presses Biden on Afghan Evacuations: Will Troops ‘Stay Beyond’ Deadline if Necessary?

ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos confronted President Joe Biden in an interview Wednesday about the urgent need to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies in the coming days.

The president set August 31st as the end date of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, so Stephanopoulos asked, “All troops are supposed to be out by August 31st. Even if Americans and our Afghan allies are still trying to get out, they’re going to leave?”

“We’re going to do everything in our power to get all Americans out and our allies out,” Biden responded.

“Does that mean troops will stay beyond August 31st if necessary?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“It depends on where we are,” the president said, “and whether we can get — ramp these numbers up to five to seven thousand a day coming out. If that’s the case, they’ll all be out.”

Stephanopoulos continued pressing on this issue with respect to Afghan allies, and whether “the commitment hold[s] for them as well.”

“The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone who should come out. And that’s the objective. That’s what we’re doing now, that’s the path we’re on, and I think we’ll get there,” Biden said.

The preview ends with the president saying, “If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out.”

In another preview of the full interview, the president stood by his decision to withdraw amid all the chaos in the past few days.

You can watch above, via ABC News.