Amid the scramble for Americans and Afghan allies to be evacuated from the region before the Taliban's cutoff date of August 31, officials warned of an imminent terror attack on Kabul International Airport, where thousands had gathered in hopes of escaping Taliban rule.
That attack tragically came to pass on Thursday, when the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) set off a series of bombs near the airport, killing nearly 100 Afghans and at least 13 U.S. service members.
A visibly forlorn President Joe Biden, whose late son Beau served overseas, took the podium and answered questions from White House correspondents, vowing to the perpetrators:
"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay."
The President said he has reason to believe intelligence officials have deduced who the perpetrators are, and took responsibility for the chaos in the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
Former President Trump's son, Don Jr., spent hours after the attack slamming Biden on Twitter, blaming him for the attack and the botched withdrawal.
Junior shared a picture of Biden at the podium with his head hanging, calling him weak.
This is what weakness looks like.pic.twitter.com/a7vqlqYUhU— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1630014790
The commentary didn't go over well on social media.
No, @DonaldJTrumpJr, this is what empathy and compassion look like.https://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Jon Cooper \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jon Cooper \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1630028511
Wrong. This is what having a President whose beloved son served our country in the military looks like.https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1630021999
Tell us you\u2019ve never seen compassion and empathy without telling us you\u2019ve never seen compassion and empathyhttps://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Angry Staffer (@Angry Staffer) 1630021394
Ah yes, empathy. I see you are not familiar with the concept.https://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Bradley P. Moss (@Bradley P. Moss) 1630024949
Actually, this is what Strength looks like\u2014 weakness is not seeing it.https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Bryan K Williams, Esq. (@Bryan K Williams, Esq.) 1630027524
Some speculated on Don Jr.'s upbringing as a way to make sense of the sentiment.
Don Jr is, unfortunately, the product of abuse and neglect. After 43 years of criticism and punishment by Trump, Jr is now emotionally void.\n\nAs a result, Jr "attacks" others in a desperate attempt to get his father's attention.\n\nSADhttps://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Gabe Sanchez (@Gabe Sanchez) 1630029546
.@DonaldJTrumpJr, perspective is everything. For most normal people raised with humanity, this is what compassion, empathy, & decency look like. For you & your dad, who negotiated this deal & who hate our Democracy & love what is happening, this is what opportunism looks like.https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Fred Guttenberg (@Fred Guttenberg) 1630061674
I know you didn\u2019t grow up in a loving, caring home so it makes sense that you wouldn\u2019t know what empathy and compassion look and feel like. I\u2019m sorry. It must be so lonely to feel so unloved.https://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— \ud83d\ude37\ud83d\udc89 Valerie Bertinelli (@\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\udc89 Valerie Bertinelli) 1630022589
Don Jr is what happens when you don't hug your kid once in a while. When you tell them to suck it up when they get hurt. When you teach them that the only goal in life is monetary. When you teach them winning is everything. When you basically void their life of empathy.https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— \ud83d\udc80DeathMetalViking\ud83d\udc80 (@\ud83d\udc80DeathMetalViking\ud83d\udc80) 1630062769
I feel like this says so much more about Don Jr. than he was intending.https://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/1431011866080419840\u00a0\u2026— Matt Anderson (@Matt Anderson) 1630034954
"Empathy" began trending on Twitter with responses to Junior's tweet.
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AMC