President Biden will address the Afghanistan crisis Monday afternoon as criticism mounts for the public statements by the president as Afghanistan falls to the Taliban.
Mr. Biden will return from Camp David, where he spent the weekend vacationing, and deliver remarks on the Afghanistan situation in the late afternoon. The move comes after widespread calls for him to reassure the American people.
The White House Sunday sought to blunt criticism by trotting out several top officials on the Sunday political shows, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Miley briefed lawmakers.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, has only communicated to the public about Afghanistan in a written statement released Saturday. He has not appeared in public or on camera to address the situation.
The White House says Mr. Biden will address the nation soon but has not given a definitive time frame. And on Sunday, the White House issued a photo of the president on a Zoom call with defense officials.
Republicans have slammed the president’s disappearing act.
“Why is Joe Biden hiding,” Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, tweeted. “He should immediately address the nation and answer for the catastrophic situation in Afghanistan.”
“Conference calls between cabinet secretaries and senators don’t cut it,” Mr. Cotton continued.
Rep. Jim Banks, Indiana Republican and an Afghanistan war vet, also blasted the president: “Does Joe Biden even want to be president anymore?”