After President Joe Biden said Thursday that no military members have died during his term in office, a Gold Star mother told the Daily Caller News Foundation that a “change” in leadership is needed.
During a debate with former President Donald Trump on Thursday, Biden falsely claimed he was the “only president in 100 years” who had never had a U.S. soldier killed or killed anywhere in the world during his term in office. Alicia Lopez, the mother of Corporal Hunter Lopez, one of 13 soldiers killed in the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, told the Daily Caller News Foundation she found Biden's comments “sad” and that it was “time for a change” in White House leadership. (Related article: Poll shows majority of voters want to oust Biden after disastrous debate defeat)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 27: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) looks on as U.S. President Joe Biden during the CNN presidential debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27, 2024. President Biden and former President Trump will face off in the first debate of the 2024 presidential election. (Photo by Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
“It is a sad day for America when those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom are forgotten. I only wish that what he said was true and that my child would come to my house,” Lopez said in a statement to the DCNF on Friday, “but what is true is that my son and 17 others were killed under his watch.”
“The families and friends of these incredible heroes will never forget, and it is clear that it is time for change, and I hope that more Americans will see that,” Lopez told DCNF. “Change that will restore America's credibility and standing to what it once was, and bring back leaders who care for the safety and security of our nation, and recognize those who have made great sacrifices to protect it.”
Hunter was among the U.S. troops stationed at Kabul airport in Afghanistan when the Biden administration failed to withdraw in 2021. At the Biden administration's orders, military forces on the ground tried to withdraw quickly from the airport, but large numbers of Afghan nationals tried to leave with them, fearing retaliation from the Taliban, who quickly seized control of the area after the U.S. withdrawal.
Leaders within the Biden administration have been harshly and widely criticized for rushing the withdrawal and failing to develop an evacuation plan, putting U.S. troops at risk and leaving many U.S. citizens behind in Afghanistan. An ISIS-K terrorist at the airport detonated a suicide vest near Abbey Gate, killing 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghan civilians.
A Marine sniper who was on the scene at the time of the withdrawal testified before Congress in March 2023 that he had the bomber in sight and could have shot but was told not to by superiors. An investigation conducted by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and released in April contradicted the sniper's testimony and found that the bombing could not have been prevented.
ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 27: US President Joe Biden exits with First Lady Jill Biden after the CNN presidential debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. President Biden and Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump, face off in the first debate of the 2024 presidential election. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Five U.S. soldiers have also been killed in the Middle East under the Biden administration: Three soldiers stationed at an air base in Jordan were killed in a drone attack carried out by an Iranian-backed terrorist group in January.
Biden's debate performance was widely criticized and unsettled many of his supporters, as the president appeared visibly fatigued, made false claims and seemed unable to finish sentences during his debate with Trump.
Several prominent Democratic activists and commentators are now urging Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. board He said Friday that betting on Biden was a “reckless gamble” and that for the sake of the Democratic Party, the president should back down.
The Biden-Harris campaign and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
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