CNN's Jake Tapper calls out Biden's Afghanistan speech for being 'full of finger-pointing and blame'

CNN anchor Jake Tapper is calling out President Biden's Monday address on Afghanistan as being "full of finger-pointing," despite the president's assertion that "the buck stops with me."
Biden on Monday delivered remarks from the White House after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, defending the United States' withdrawal and saying he stands behind his decision to leave, though he admitted that "this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated." Critics quickly accused Biden of "passing the buck" and not accepting responsibility for the chaos, and Tapper seemed to agree with this assessment.
"The president said that the buck stopped with him, but in fact, this speech was full of finger-pointing and blame, especially for the Afghans," Tapper said. "...He did not really get into or accept any blame for the catastrophic exit that we have been watching on television in the last several days."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
During the speech, Biden responded to questions over "why we did not begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner" by saying that "some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier."
Reporting from Kabul, CNN's Clarissa Ward argued the speech will "sound like hollow words" to Afghans, as Biden didn't take responsibility or apologize for the "catastrophic manner of this withdrawal." David Axelrod, who served as senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, also argued on CNN that Biden should have taken responsibility during the address.
"I thought that his case for why we had to get out was strong, it was compelling, and I think he had to do that as well," Axelrod said. "But I do think that he needed to take responsibility. … He should have said, 'It did not go as it should have,' and taken responsibility for that."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 artfully drawn cartoons about Donald Trump's Epstein doodle
Cartoons Artists take on a mountainous legacy, creepy art, and more
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants