'Where is the president?': CNN host presses White House official on when Biden will speak on Afghanistan

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar pressed a White House official during a Monday interview on why President Biden hasn't yet delivered a public address about the Taliban taking Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, asking, "Where is the president?"
Keilar spoke with White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer in an interview Monday morning after the Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday. White House officials are "discussing how Biden should address the Taliban's rapid rise to power," NBC News reports. In the Monday interview, though, Keilar pressed Finer on why this hasn't yet happened.
"Why isn't he out there now?" she asked. "Kabul fell yesterday. Where is the president?"
Subscribe to 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.
Finer said that Biden has "spoken to this extensively, and I expect that he will speak to it again soon." But he didn't provide a timeline when Keilar asked if Biden will speak on Monday, with the CNN host arguing, "it seems like the moment demands that."
On Good Morning America, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the American people "can expect to hear from the president soon," but he didn't say whether this would happen on Monday. NBC News reports that Biden "could make a speech from the White House early this week, but no final decision had been made."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'