President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday that no U.S. troops will be in Afghanistan by Sept. 11, delaying former President Donald Trump’s May 1 deadline for troop withdrawal.
Biden’s announcement was met with a flurry of agreement, while Trump’s announcement was covered with decided negativity. Freelance journalist Drew Holden drew attention to the stark contrast in coverage in a Twitter thread.
Here’s a look at how Biden’s announcement got covered compared with coverage of Trump’s announcement.
CNN tweeted on Nov. 17 that reports of Trump’s withdrawal drew a “stark warning” that prematurely withdrawing could be “dangerous.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a stark warning that any premature withdrawal from Afghanistan could be dangerous, a day after reports that President Trump is eyeing a troop drawdown against the advice of the nation’s top military officials. https://t.co/B03I77SwdA
— CNN (@CNN) November 17, 2020
Just months after CNN focused on the alleged potential dangers, CNN pulled a “source familiar” with Biden’s plans and tweeted the source believes “no amount of US troops in the country can be a game changer anymore.”
As President Biden prepares to lay out his plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, a source familiar with his thinking tells CNN’s @camanpour that he thinks no amount of US troops in the country can be a game changer anymore https://t.co/XBS5K6fEDH
— CNN (@CNN) April 14, 2021
But that wasn’t the only instance demonstrating stark contrast in coverage. (RELATED: US Commits To Taking In Afghan Interpreters And Refugees, Paying Salaries Of Afghan Security Forces After 9/11 Withdrawal)
“This is just reckless and it is really risky,” says @BrettBruen of Trump’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
“You’re not sharing information with the incoming administration, so the likelihood that something could go wrong is very, very high.” pic.twitter.com/3XNTxXxvcE
— CNN (@CNN) November 18, 2020
When it came to Biden’s decision, CNN pulled in former President Barack Obama who “praised” Biden’s “bold leadership” for his decision to withdraw the troops.
Former President Obama praised President Biden’s “bold leadership” for his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, saying that “it is time to recognize that we have accomplished all that we can militarily” in America’s longest war https://t.co/Y4h91cpT1K
— CNN (@CNN) April 14, 2021
Other outlets changed their tune, as well.
The New York Times wrote an article about the alleged “fear” Afghan officials felt after Trump’s initial reduction of troops in Afghanistan was announced. The NYT cited Afghan officials who feared Trump’s decision would “encourage the Taliban to keep fighting.”
President Trump ordered a reduction down to 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Afghan officials fear the cuts, which will happen before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, will encourage the Taliban to keep fighting. https://t.co/bvHIl79K28
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 18, 2020
The NYT did report on possible effects Biden’s withdrawal could have on Afghanistan, but rather than directly tying the fear to Biden himself as they did with Trump, the NYT instead tweeted the concerns as open-ended questions.
What will happen to women and minorities when the U.S. pulls out of Afghanistan? Can the Afghan president hold on to power? Will terrorist groups pose a threat again?
These and other pressing questions confront Afghans after 20 years of war. https://t.co/yOGPyrXlXa
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 14, 2021
The NYT also focused on some personal quotes Biden made in his announcement intended to pull at the heartstrings of most Americans.
“I’m the first president in 40 years who knows what it means to have a child serving in a war zone,” President Biden said on Wednesday, referring to his son Beau, who was deployed to Iraq.
“It’s time for America’s troops to come home.” https://t.co/fJjSI7vPsh https://t.co/2Lw5mTEfv7
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 14, 2021
The Times also lauded Biden for ending the “20-year, largely unsuccessful American effort to remake Afghanistan,” despite Trump making a similar announcement months ago.
President Biden formally ended the 20-year, largely unsuccessful American effort to remake Afghanistan, declaring from the White House on Wednesday that he would withdraw remaining U.S. troops by Sept. 11. https://t.co/qX3rvcAouz
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 14, 2021
MSNBC pulled commentary from two different individuals who gave completely opposite analyses on the same decision. Trump’s was “sabotage.”
Fmr. Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk on President Trump pulling troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan: “Not only does it sabotage [the Biden admin.], it also puts our troops at greater risk.”https://t.co/NHrwfufbnH
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 20, 2020
When it came to Biden’s announcement, MSNBC pulled former vice presidential nominee Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine who said the Biden administration’s decision was the “right call.”
Sen. Kaine says the Biden administration’s plan to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 is “the right call.”https://t.co/MwX5cxkfL2
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 14, 2021
“No person, no leader has grappled more with the idea of sending troops into harm’s way than Joe Biden,” fmr. Chief of Staff at the CIA Jeremy Bash says, following President Biden’s decision to fully withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 9/11.https://t.co/o5Cgj2pxhj
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 15, 2021
