Harris recalls stun over Biden's botched debate response about fallen service members in Afghanistan
Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticizes Biden's debate performance in new book, noting his failure to mention troops killed during botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris revealed in her new political memoir, "107 Days," that she was stunned by then-President Joe Biden's debate response about his administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which left 13 service members dead.
Biden's debate performance against Donald Trump in 2024 was viewed as an abject failure, with the Democratic president tripping over his words, losing his train of thought and displaying a raspy voice attributed to a cold during the event.
Harris argued that Biden whiffed an easy question on the military and omitted any acknowledgment of the 13 U.S. service members who died during the Afghanistan withdrawal. She also pointed to his claims that he was "the only president this century" and "this decade" who did not have any troops "dying anywhere in the world."
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Harris in her book, however, identified those who were killed as "13 marines," — except it was not all Marines who died during the withdrawal. Eleven Marines, one soldier and one Navy corpsman were killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport's Abbey Gate.
Harris explained in her book that Biden first faced a question on the economy during his debate in June 2024, which she said was rushed, with Biden showing "no light in his eyes, no expression in his voice."
The next question was on the military, and included Biden omitting an acknowledgment of the horrific attack that plagued his administration as one of its greatest failures.
"He’s got so much material on this—Trump calling our fallen soldiers 'suckers and losers,'" Harris wrote of what ran through her head when Biden was asked about his role as commander-in-chief.
"He managed to get off that line but had stepped on it earlier by saying no one had died in wars overseas on his watch, seeming to forget the thirteen marines who died in the bomb blast at the airport during the evacuation of Afghanistan. I’d been on Air Force Two when it happened, and we had to change our flight plan to get back to DC in the face of that tragedy. How could he overlook that day?" she wrote, expressing her surprise over the response, but misidentifying those who were all killed as members of the Marines Corps.
"I know his deep feelings for those men and women. It’s personal to him," she added.
The Biden administration repeatedly came under fire for its handling of the Afghan withdrawal. It was viewed as paving the road for adversaries such as Russia to invade Ukraine, as the U.S. looked weak on the international stage, critics such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at the time. The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan upon the U.S.' withdrawal.
The families who lost loved ones during the botched withdrawal previously slammed Biden and Harris for their deaths, including launching a scathing defense attack against Harris when she was running for president. Parents and other loved ones claimed that the "administration killed my son" and that they "have not seen any support from you or your administration."
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Biden added fuel to the fire of the botched withdrawal criticisms when he appeared on a tarmac during a dignified transfer ceremony of those killed in 2021 and was seen looking at his watch.
Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office for comment on the section of the book, including a response as to why Harris stated the 13 service members were all identified as "marines," but did not immediately receive responses. Biden's office declined to comment.
Harris' book, "107 Days," hit store shelves Tuesday and reflects on the former vice president's truncated presidential campaign cycle after Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity.
Harris is set to go on tour promoting her book in cities such as New York, San Francisco and London.
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