Joe Biden
President of the United States
"I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth president. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time, a little more money, and a little more 'nation-building' will make a difference."
Biography
Joe Biden was the president who ended America's longest war — and bore the political consequences of a withdrawal that, while strategically defensible, was chaotically executed. As Vice President, Biden had argued in 2009 against the surge, favoring a minimal counterterrorism footprint. He was overruled. When he became president in January 2021, he inherited the Doha Agreement Trump had negotiated and decided to honor the withdrawal commitment despite a badly deteriorating security situation. The Afghan government's collapse in eleven days — far faster than any US intelligence assessment had predicted — produced the defining images of his presidency: Afghans clinging to aircraft at Kabul airport, the chaotic evacuation, the suicide bombing at Abbey Gate that killed 13 US service members. Biden defended the withdrawal as the right decision regardless of the execution. The debate over that judgment continues.
Did you know?
Biden as Vice President had argued against McChrystal's 2009 surge recommendation, proposing instead a counter-terrorism strategy using Special Forces and drones without the large ground presence. Obama overruled him. When Biden became president, he implemented roughly the strategy he had originally proposed — but 12 years later.
Key Battles
Fall of Kabul — 2021
Taliban / Al-Qaeda victoryAugust 15, 2021 · 500 total casualties
The fall of Kabul was one of the most jarring televised moments in modern American history. The images of Afghans falling from aircraft recalled Saigon in 1975. The collapse raised fundamental questions about what 20 years of war had achieved, about the limits of military power to build nations, and about whether the US understood the countries it chose to occupy. The Taliban, who had been in power in 1996, were back in power in 2021 — and the Afghan government proved to have no popular legitimacy at all.
Life Journey
Timeline
November 20, 1942
🌅 Birth
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
1965
📚 Education
Graduated University of Delaware; later earned law degree from Syracuse
January 3, 1973
milestone
Became US Senator from Delaware at age 30 — one of youngest ever
2009–2017
milestone
Served as Vice President; argued against Afghanistan surge; was overruled
April 14, 2021
milestone
Announced full withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021
August 30, 2021
⚔️ Battle
Last US plane departed Kabul; 20-year war ended on his watch