Tulsi Gabbard Calls Joe Biden Denying Troop Deaths Under His Watch A 'Punch To The Gut'

Former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard has slammed President Joe Biden due to remarks he made about U.S. troops and service members during his debate.

During the historic presidential debate Donald Trump, Biden said he was the only president "this decade" with no troops "dying anywhere in the world."

However, Joe Biden's claim has been proven false and has angered many service members, with Tulsi Gabbard branding it a "punch in the gut."

Gabbard took to TikTok on Sunday to slam President Biden following his debate with former President Trump.

During the debate, Biden seemed to lose his train of thought at certain moments and struggled to put together coherent sentences, causing his performance to be critically panned by many around the world.

The president also made some remarks that have left many fuming, one such remark being his claim that no U.S. troops died under his administration.

Gabbard registered her anger at the statement, calling it a "punch to the gut" for her and other service members.

She said, "President Biden had the audacity to look into the camera and proudly proclaim that no service members have been killed under his administration."

"This was a punch in the gut to me and to all of us who have worn the universe, who continue to serve, and especially to the gold star families of the 13 service men and women who were killed during Biden's disastrous exit from Afghanistan," Gabbard continued.

She added, "It was a punch in the gut to the gold star families of the three soldiers who were killed in Jordan just this past January in a drone attack that also wounded 34 others. Our commander in chief, their commander in chief, was so unaffected by the loss of every one of these precious lives that occurred because of his policies that he couldn't even remember them. Could not remember that they paid the ultimate price."

Biden's blunder has since earned the ire of relatives of the 13 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan during his controversial 2021 withdrawal as they expressed their anger and dismay.

While speaking to the New York Post, Mark Schmitz, whose son Marine Cpl. Jared Schmitz was one of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the Kabul attack, said that President Biden's debate comments deeply hurt the Gold Star families.

"My phone blew up for probably 20 minutes after that came through, and everybody was just in utter shock. And my poor kids were in the next room – let's just say I ultimately ended up having to apologize to them for my language," he expressed. "It took all self-restraint not to put my fist right through my TV."

He added: "I was beyond ticked off, disrespected. That's all we've ever gotten out of this president."

For Steve Nikoui, whose son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui was also killed in the Kabul attack; President Biden's debate gaffe was not a shock, given his previous behavior.

Nikoui recalled how Biden had disrespected the fallen 13 by glancing at his watch during their dignified transfer ceremony.

"I did see that, and I was just as shocked as anyone else, but I wasn't surprised," he told the publication. "I'm glad that the rest of America can see what we've been dealing with for the last three years."

"What he did last night was he basically refused to honor the service and sacrifice of the 13 servicemen and women that were killed at the Abbey gate directly – were killed because of his incompetence– and he refuses, since that's happened, to even recognize them."

Although some commentators tried to defend Biden, saying he simply misspoke, Coral Briseno, who lost her son Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, in the Kabul bombing, dismissed the idea.

She disagrees that President Biden's debate comment was a verbal misstep about ending the 20-year war, noting that even those who are sympathetic to his age-related struggles should find his statement hard to accept.

"I know he's not there 100%, and it's one thing not to accept that they were murdered by his administration," she said, per the New York Post. "But if he wants everybody to know that nobody died, it's another thing.

Briseno added, "But then I think that in his mind, he thinks he did not kill those soldiers – that never happened."

Christy Shamblin, whose daughter-in-law Nicole Gee was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul attack, dismissed the notion that Biden's age or mental state should excuse his comments.

"It's always an excuse, but the reality is that these 13 died, and many more were injured, and 180 Afghans died at that moment," she said. "This was supposed to be a peacekeeping mission and evacuation. Our kids weren't there at war, and he couldn't even bring them home – couldn't get that right."

She expressed concern about future conflicts, saying, "God forbid we end up in another war, because that's exactly where we're heading, and he'll deny all that, too. He'll deny it and place blame on somebody else again, too. That's just what they do – they take no responsibility."