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President Trump on Monday signed a proclamation to mark the fourth anniversary of the bombing at Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members during the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
Trump met in the Oval Office with family members of some of the service members who were killed during the bombing, which the president used throughout the 2024 campaign to attack the Biden administration and accuse then-President Biden of showing a lack of compassion.
“There are some great souls that are looking down on you right now, and they’re very proud of their parents, and brothers, and sisters, and moms and dads especially. That’s what I seem to have dealt with mostly,” Trump said before signing the proclamation.
“And the media, I want to thank you because you’ve been very respectful of this group of people, and they deserve it,” Trump added. “They went through hell for no reason. It should have never happened.”
The proclamation itself calls out Biden by name multiple times and describes the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan as the “single most embarrassing display of American foreign policy in the history of our country.”
“As our Nation solemnly marks 4 years since the attack at Abbey Gate, we honor the memory of the 13 brave souls and every military service member to ever die in the line of duty — and we renew our resolve to protect American lives, defend American interests, and uphold American sovereignty,” the proclamation states.
Trump and his campaign in 2024 repeatedly attacked Biden and Vice President Harris over the Afghanistan withdrawal, and the Abbey Gate bombing in particular. Then-candidate Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery last year to mark the three-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal. That visit was later eclipsed by controversy after Trump staffers clashed with cemetery officials.
Biden officials long argued that the Trump administration left them with an untenable situation and that Biden made the decision to end a war that other presidents had let drag on.