Biden cancels Camp David trip to speak about Afghanistan amid widespread criticism

President Joe Biden will cut short his trip to Camp David to address the nation about Afghanistan on Monday afternoon amid mounting criticism of his strategy to exit the nation at the end of the month.

The president’s address comes as the Taliban seized the capital city of Kabul over the weekend and the nation’s President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation as a means to “avoid bloodshed”.

Images out of Kabul showed Afghans scaling a jet bridge at the city’s airport as they tried in vain to escape the nation.

On Sunday, the White House tweeted an image of Mr Biden at Camp David speaking with his national security team.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CBS News that he recognized the image of Afghans scaling a plane was “heartbreaking” but at the same time considered the alternative.

“That would have required adding thousands and thousands more US troops, in the face of a Taliban onslaught, taking casualties, and frankly, having to step up and fight for an Afghan army that was not prepared to fight for itself,” Mr Sullivan said.

Former President Donald Trump called on his successor and 2020 opponent to resign over the fall of Kabul. Mr Trump also blamed the 2020 presidential election for the situation. He has long called the election corrupt, however there is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud.

“The corrupt Presidential Election of 2020 got us here,” he said in a statement. “Never would have happened if I were President!”