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VP Harris says she was last person in the room before Biden’s withdrawal decision

Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday said she was the “last person in the room” with President Biden when he made the decision to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Harris was asked about Biden’s statement that he wanted the VP to be “the last voice in the room,” particularly when making big decisions, like he was when he served as vice president under Barack Obama.

Harris confirmed that was the case regarding the move to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

“This is a president who has an extraordinary amount of courage,” Harris said regarding the decision, which was announced earlier this month.

Vice President Kamala Harris described President Joe Biden's decision making process on an interview with CNN.
Vice President Kamala Harris described President Biden’s decision-making process in an interview with CNN.Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“He is someone, who I have seen over and over again, make decisions based on what he truly believes … is the right thing to do.”

President Joe Biden has previously said that he wants Vice President Harris to be the "last person in the room" for major decisions.
President Biden has previously said he wants Vice President Kamala Harris to be the “last person in the room” for major decisions. Photo by Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

Biden “is acutely aware that it may not be politically popular, or advantageous for him personally; it’s really something to see,” Harris added.

“I have seen him over and over again make decisions based exactly on what he believes is right.”

The president has announced plans to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
The president has announced plans to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo

American troops have been in Afghanistan since October 2001, following the 9/11 attacks the previous month.

About 2,500 US troops remain in Afghanistan.

Former President Donald Trump had wanted to withdraw by May 1, but Biden has insisted that deadline would be hard to meet because of “tactical reasons.”