american president visit afghanistan

Fact-check: How many times has Biden visited Afghanistan, Iraq?

Joe Biden: “I’ve been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times.”

PolitiFact's Ruling: False

Here's why: In his first State of the Union address, President Joe Biden focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation and the coronavirus pandemic.

At one point he turned to the U.S. military, and started to speak about toxic burn pits at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan that may have caused serious illnesses among troops — possibly including his late son Beau Biden, who served in the military and died from brain cancer in 2015.

But as he spoke, he made a questionable claim about the number of times he had visited the two countries.

"Our troops in Iraq have faced — and Afghanistan — have faced many dangers. One being stationed at bases, breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits,"  Biden said  during the March 1 joint session of Congress. "Many of you have been there. I’ve been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times. These burn pits that incinerate waste — the wastes of war, medical and hazardous material, jet fuel, and so much more."

PolitiFact readers reached out and inquired whether the statement was accurate. It’s not, and it was not included in his prepared remarks.

Biden has traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq many times, including to visit his son who was serving in Iraq. But his statement nearly doubled the number of trips. And it’s not the first time Biden has embellished the number of times he’s traveled to the two countries. 

In 2019, while on the campaign trail, Biden told a dramatic — but  false  — story about a general asking him to travel to Afghanistan to recognize the heroism of a Navy captain. At one point while relaying the tale, Biden said he had been to Iraq and Afghanistan "over 30 times."

But his campaign later clarified, and  told the Washington Post  that the correct number was actually 21. Some of these trips occurred when Biden was serving as a U.S. senator from 1973 to 2009.

There have been no news reports or press releases about Biden visiting either country for the remainder of 2019 or any time in 2020.

PolitiFact reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back. Just after Biden made this statement, he was interrupted by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who yelled out a reference to 13 service members who died while the U.S. was evacuating Afghanistan. Boebert was shushed by her colleagues. 

As president, Biden  visited Europe  in a trip that included meetings with NATO leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He traveled  to Italy and the United Kingdom  in the fall of 2021 for the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the U.N.’s convention on climate change. 

According to searches of Nexis news archives, the last time Biden visited Iraq was in 2016 to try to quell a political rebellion that threatened to undercut the Obama administration's counterterrorism efforts. It was his first visit to the country in five years. 

The last time we found that he traveled to Afghanistan was in 2011 for meetings meant to gauge the progress toward a drawdown of U.S. forces.

Biden said he has visited Iraq and Afghanistan "over 40 times."

This isn’t accurate. There is no evidence that Biden has been to either country since being president. The last time he was in Iraq appears to be in 2016. For Afghanistan, it was in 2011. 

The latest estimate of his travels to the two countries come from his presidential campaign, which said in 2019 that he had visited both a combined 21 times. 

Biden’s statement is off by about half. We rate it False. 

PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

Our Sources

• PolitiFact, Fact-checking Joe Biden's 2022 State of the Union address, March 1, 2022 
• WhiteHouse.gov, Remarks by President Biden in State of the Union Address, March 1, 2022 
• Nexis news archive database search, March 3, 2022
• Washington Post, As he campaigns for president, Joe Biden tells a moving but false war story, Aug. 29, 2019 
• Factba.se, Joe Biden - President's Public Schedule, Accessed March 3, 2022
• Factba.se, Daily White House - Schedule, Accessed March 3, 2022 
• Washington Post, Photos: Biden visits Europe in first presidential trip overseas, June 14, 2021 
• WhiteHouse.gov, Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the President’s Travel to Italy, Vatican City, and the United Kingdom, Oct. 14, 2021

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• Afghanistan

President Joe Biden speaks at the Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center in New Castle, Del., on Dec. 16, 2022. The center is named for the president's late son. (AP )

Despite his claim, Joe Biden has not visited Afghanistan or Iraq as president

If your time is short.

• Joe Biden has not visited Afghanistan or Iraq while president.

President Joe Biden mentioned his travels through war zones and the Middle East during a summit about veterans health care at the Delaware National Guard headquarters.

The facility is named for Biden’s late son Beau , who served in Iraq with the Guard.  

"I’ve been in and out — not as a, obviously, combatant — but in and out of Afghanistan, Iraq and those areas, 38, 39 times," he said Dec. 16. "Not as president; only twice as president."

Biden’s description of his travels to the two countries has not held up under scrutiny.

In his 2022 State of the Union address, Biden said: "I’ve been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times." 

We rated his statement False . The actual number was about half that, including visits while he was vice president and senator. 

He had not been to either country as president before that March 1 speech, and that remains unchanged.

The White House referred us to the National Security Council, which did not reply to our requests for information.

Afghanistan has become more unstable during Biden’s time as president, given that U.S. troops were at war there until he oversaw the completion of their withdrawal. The country fell into chaos and Taliban control in August 2021, as the U.S. completed its withdrawal, begun under former President Donald Trump. 

In our earlier review of Biden’s travels, we found the last time Biden visited Iraq was in 2016, when he was vice president.

Featured Fact-check

His last trip to Afghanistan was in 2011 for meetings about drawing down U.S. forces.

As for Biden’s reference to "those areas," Biden has visited the Middle East twice as president.

In July, Biden took a trip to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia that included a summit in Saudi Arabia for Arab leaders. High gasoline prices in the U.S. at the time were believed to be one reason for the visit to Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest oil producers. Biden also met with Israeli officials to maintain U.S.-Israel ties and with Palestinan officials for diplomatic reasons.

In November, Biden went to Cairo and addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia share a border. Another Middle Eastern nation, Iran, shares a border with Afghanistan, but Afghanistan is more than 2,000 miles away from Egypt.

Biden said he has been to "Afghanistan, Iraq and those areas" twice as president.

As president, he has not visited either country.

We rate Biden’s statement False.

RELATED:  No evidence to support Joe Biden's anecdote about giving uncle a Purple Heart while vice president

RELATED: Fact-checks on and about Joe Biden

RELATED: Republican National Committee fact-checks

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Our Sources

Twitter, RNC Research tweet (archived here ), Dec. 16, 2022

Interview, Republican National Committee spokesperson Nathan Brand, Dec. 19, 2022

YouTube, The White House "President Biden Delivers Remarks at a Delaware Veterans Summit and PACT Act Town Hall" post , (29:10) Dec. 16, 2022

The White House, "Remarks by President Biden at a Delaware Veterans Summit and PACT Act Town Hall, New Castle, DE," Dec. 16, 2022

PBS Newshour, "Biden urges veterans to seek health benefits under new PACT Act," Dec. 16, 2022

PolitiFact, "Biden exaggerates trips to Iraq, Afghanistan in State of the Union address," March 3, 2022

Washington Post, "Biden says U.S. will ‘do our part to avert’ a ‘climate hell’ during address in Egypt," Nov. 11, 2022

Townhall, "Let's Talk About Joe Biden's Millionth Embarrassing Gaffe," Dec. 18, 2022

State Department, "Countries and Areas," accessed Dec. 19, 2022

WorldAtlas.com, "How Many Countries Are There In The Middle East?" , Oct. 3, 2020

Daily Mail, "In the firing line again: Biden lies again about the number of times he's visited Afghanistan and Iraq - and claims his uncle won a Purple Heart in World War II when no such record exists," posted Dec. 16, 2022; updated Dec. 17, 2022

Fox News, "Biden exaggerates his visits to Iraq and Afghanistan at veterans town hall in Delaware," Dec. 16, 2022

Email, Will Todman, fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Dec. 19, 2022

Email, Marvin Weinbaum, director of Afghanistan and Pakistan studies at the Middle East Institute, Dec. 19, 2022

New York Times, "Biden in Saudi Arabia — U.S. won’t let China and Russia dominate Mideast, Biden tells Arab leaders," posted July 16, 2022; updated July 19, 2022

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden on   Afghanistan

4:02 P.M. EDT   THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  I want to speak today to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan: the developments that have taken place in the last week and the steps we’re taking to address the rapidly evolving events. My national security team and I have been closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and moving quickly to execute the plans we had put in place to respond to every constituency, including — and contingency — including the rapid collapse we’re seeing now. I’ll speak more in a moment about the specific steps we’re taking, but I want to remind everyone how we got here and what America’s interests are in Afghanistan. We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: get those who attacked us on September 11th, 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again. We did that.  We severely degraded al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We never gave up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and we got him.  That was a decade ago.  Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation building.  It was never supposed to be creating a unified, centralized democracy. Our only vital national interest in Afghanistan remains today what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland. I’ve argued for many years that our mission should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism — not counterinsurgency or nation building.  That’s why I opposed the surge when it was proposed in 2009 when I was Vice President. And that’s why, as President, I am adamant that we focus on the threats we face today in 2021 — not yesterday’s threats. Today, the terrorist threat has metastasized well beyond Afghanistan: al Shabaab in Somalia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia.  These threats warrant our attention and our resources. We conduct effective counterterrorism missions against terrorist groups in multiple countries where we don’t have a permanent military presence. If necessary, we will do the same in Afghanistan.  We’ve developed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States in the region and to act quickly and decisively if needed. When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban.  Under his agreement, U.S. forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 — just a little over three months after I took office. U.S. forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in country, and the Taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001. The choice I had to make, as your President, was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. There would have been no ceasefire after May 1.  There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1.  There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1. There was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan, lurching into the third decade of conflict.  I stand squarely behind my decision.  After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. That’s why we were still there.  We were clear-eyed about the risks.  We planned for every contingency. But I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you.  The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. So what’s happened?  Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country.  The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision.  American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.  We spent over a trillion dollars.  We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong — incredibly well equipped — a force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies.  We gave them every tool they could need.  We paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their air force — something the Taliban doesn’t have.  Taliban does not have an air force.  We provided close air support.  We gave them every chance to determine their own future.  What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future. There’s some very brave and capable Afghan special forces units and soldiers, but if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that 1 year — 1 more year, 5 more years, or 20 more years of U.S. military boots on the ground would’ve made any difference. And here’s what I believe to my core: It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not.  If the political leaders of Afghanistan were unable to come together for the good of their people, unable to negotiate for the future of their country when the chips were down, they would never have done so while U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan bearing the brunt of the fighting for them. And our true strategic competitors — China and Russia — would love nothing more than the United States to continue to funnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan indefinitely. When I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah at the White House in June and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations.  We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people.  We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically.  They failed to do any of that. I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban.  This advice was flatly refused.  Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong. So I’m left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more generations of America’s daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghans — Afghanistan’s civil war when Afghan troops will not?   How many more lives — American lives — is it worth?  How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery? I’m clear on my answer: I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past — the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces. Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat, because we have significant vital interests in the world that we cannot afford to ignore. I also want to acknowledge how painful this is to so many of us.  The scenes we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and for Americans who have fought and served in the country — serve our country in Afghanistan — this is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well.  I’ve worked on these issues as long as anyone.  I’ve been throughout Afghanistan during this war — while the war was going on — from Kabul to Kandahar to the Kunar Valley. I’ve traveled there on four different occasions.  I met with the people.  I’ve spoken to the leaders.  I spent time with our troops.  And I came to understand firsthand what was and was not possible in Afghanistan. So, now we’re fercus [sic] — focused on what is possible.  We will continue to support the Afghan people.  We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence, and our humanitarian aid. We’ll continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability. We’ll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people — of women and girls — just as we speak out all over the world. I have been clear that human rights must be the center of our foreign policy, not the periphery.  But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments; it’s with our diplomacy, our economic tools, and rallying the world to join us.  Now, let me lay out the current mission in Afghanistan.  I was asked to authorize — and I did — 6,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of U.S. and Allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan, and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of Afghanistan. Our troops are working to secure the airfield and to ensure continued operation of both the civilian and military flights.  We’re taking over air traffic control.  We have safely shut down our embassy and transferred our diplomats.  Our dip- — our diplomatic presence is now consolidated at the airport as well. Over the coming days, we intend to transport out thousands of American citizens who have been living and working in Afghanistan. We’ll also continue to support the safe departure of civilian personnel — the civilian personnel of our Allies who are still serving in Afghanistan. Operation Allies Refugee [Refuge], which I announced back in July, has already moved 2,000 Afghans who are eligible for Special Immigration Visas and their families to the United States. In the coming days, the U.S. military will provide assistance to move more SIV-eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan. We’re also expanding refugee access to cover other vulnerable Afghans who worked for our embassy: U.S. non-governmental agencies — or the U.S. non-governmental organizations; and Afghans who otherwise are at great risk; and U.S. news agencies. I know that there are concerns about why we did not begin evacuating Afghans — civilians sooner.  Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier — still hopeful for their country.  And part of it was because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, “a crisis of confidence.” American troops are performing this mission as professionally and as effectively as they always do, but it is not without risks. As we carry out this departure, we have made it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful.  We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary. Our current military mission will be short in time, limited in scope, and focused in its objectives: Get our people and our allies to safety as quickly as possible.  And once we have completed this mission, we will conclude our military withdrawal.  We will end America’s longest war after 20 long years of bloodshed. The events we’re seeing now are sadly proof that no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, and secure Afghanistan — as known in history as the “graveyard of empires.” What is happening now could just as easily have happened 5 years ago or 15 years in the future.  We have to be honest: Our mission in Afghanistan has taken many missteps — made many missteps over the past two decades.  I’m now the fourth American President to preside over war in Afghanistan — two Democrats and two Republicans.  I will not pass this responsibly on — responsibility on to a fifth President. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference.  Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today and how we must move forward from here. I am President of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me. I am deeply saddened by the facts we now face.  But I do not regret my decision to end America’s warfighting in Afghanistan and maintain a laser-focus on our counterterrorism missions there and in other parts of the world. Our mission to degrade the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and kill Osama bin Laden was a success. Our decades-long effort to overcome centuries of history and permanently change and remake Afghanistan was not, and I wrote and believed it never could be. I cannot and I will not ask our troops to fight on endlessly in another — in another country’s civil war, taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken by grief and loss. This is not in our national security interest.  It is not what the American people want.  It is not what our troops, who have sacrificed so much over the past two decades, deserve. I made a commitment to the American people when I ran for President that I would bring America’s military involvement in Afghanistan to an end.  And while it’s been hard and messy — and yes, far from perfect — I’ve honored that commitment. More importantly, I made a commitment to the brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasn’t going to ask them to continue to risk their lives in a military action that should have ended long ago.  Our leaders did that in Vietnam when I got here as a young man.  I will not do it in Afghanistan. I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another President of the United States — yet another one — a fifth one.  Because it’s the right one — it’s the right decision for our people.  The right one for our brave service members who have risked their lives serving our nation.  And it’s the right one for America.  So, thank you.  May God protect our troops, our diplomats, and all of the brave Americans serving in harm’s way. 4:21 P.M. EDT

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Visits By Foreign Leaders of Afghanistan

US defence boss Austin meets Afghan president in unannounced trip

Lloyd Austin and President Ashraf Ghani discuss Afghan peace process and rising violence, presidential palace in Kabul says.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a previously unannounced visit to Kabul.

The talks on Sunday came at a crucial time for the efforts to achieve peace in Afghanistan as US President Joe Biden’s administration reviews its plan for the country before a May troop withdrawal deadline agreed to by the Trump administration with the Taliban.

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In a statement, the presidential palace said Austin and Ghani discussed the peace process and concerns over rising violence. There was no mention of the US meeting a May 1 deadline to pull its forces out of Afghanistan.

Austin said on Twitter he had come to “listen and learn”, on his first trip to the country since his appointment by Biden.

“This visit has been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with [Biden],” he added.

I’m very grateful for my time with President @ashrafghani today. I came to Afghanistan to listen and learn. This visit has been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with @POTUS . pic.twitter.com/ZE39tXZqvg — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 21, 2021

According to The Washington Post, Austin earlier told reporters travelling with him in Kabul that senior US officials want to see “a responsible end to this conflict” and “a transition to something else”.

“There’s always going to be concerns about things one way or the other, but I think there is a lot of energy focused on doing what is necessary to bring about a responsible end and a negotiated settlement to the war,” Austin said.

Last week, Biden said it would be “tough” for the US to meet the May 1 deadline.

But he added that if the deadline, which is laid out in an agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban, is extended, it would not be by a “lot longer”.

On Friday, the Taliban warned of consequences if the US failed to meet the deadline.

Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban negotiation team, told reporters if US troops stayed beyond May 1, “it will be a kind of violation of the agreement. That violation would not be from our side … Their violation will have a reaction”.

Omar Samad, former Afghan diplomat and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council told Al Jazeera that the Taliban has always followed through with their threats and objectives and that the Pentagon has made preparations for any scenario.

“At the same time today we are hearing the Taliban have given the Americans a blueprint for a reduction in violence which I think is very important. It could open the way for concessions, such as maybe even extending the American stay in Afghanistan for a few months as a result of a political deal,” Samad said.

“Going forward to a conference in Turkey next month, there are a lot of issues that can be worked out politically to avoid a war scenario, which is what the Afghan people want.”

Negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar’s capital, Doha, have struggled to gain momentum and violence has risen.

The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has also been travelling in the region in recent weeks with proposals including an interim Afghan government and a summit in Turkey to jumpstart the peace process.

In a sharply worded letter to Ghani earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was urgent to establish peace in Afghanistan.

He also warned it is likely the Taliban would make swift territorial gains if US and NATO troops withdrew.

The US spends $4bn annually to sustain Afghanistan’s National Security Forces.

Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance “will only leave when the time is right” and when conditions have been met.

“The main issue is that [the] Taliban has to reduce violence, [the] Taliban has to negotiate in good faith and [the] Taliban has to stop supporting international terrorist groups like al-Qaeda,” Stoltenberg said.

Austin has said little on the record about the ongoing impasse. After a virtual meeting of NATO defence ministers, Austin told reporters: “Our presence in Afghanistan is conditions-based, and [the] Taliban has to meet their commitments.”

Trump visited US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan while president | Fact check

The claim: Trump never visited US troops overseas during presidency

A Feb. 28 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) shows a collage of images, including one of former President Donald Trump giving a speech in front of uniformed sailors .

"'No one supports the military more than me,'" reads text above that image.

Below the image of Trump speaking are two more images, one of a soldier in combat and one of Trump playing golf, along with text that reads, "Days spent."

"Visiting troops overseas: 0. Visiting golf courses: 88," reads text over the respective images.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

Trump visited U.S. troops overseas multiple times as president, including trips to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump made trips to Iraq and Afghanistan as president

Trump first visited a U.S. military combat zone on Dec. 26, 2018, when he traveled to Al Asad Airbase in Iraq . He spent about three hours on the ground, meeting with soldiers in a dining hall and speaking to a large gathering of troops in a hangar, USA TODAY reported. The trip was widely publicized at the time .

Trump also made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Nov. 28, 2019, his second visit to a combat zone as president. He arrived at Bagram Airfield and spent about three hours serving turkey, thanking soldiers, giving a speech and meeting with then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the Associated Press reported.

Fact check : Trump still being prosecuted in classified docs, election interference cases

Trump made other trips to visit with U.S. troops overseas while he was president, including stops in Germany and South Korea .

The post also undercounts the number of times Trump played golf while he was president. Trump "probably played 261 rounds of golf as president," The Washington Post reported in 2021, though it notes that number may not be exact because Trump's team often would not report whether he played golf while visiting his properties.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• USA TODAY, Dec. 26, 2018, Trump defends Syria policy during surprise visit with US troops in Iraq
• The Palm Beach Post, Nov. 28, 2019, How Trump stealthily went from Mar-a-Lago to Afghanistan
• Associated Press, Nov. 28, 2019, Trump thanks troops in Afghanistan, says Taliban want a deal
• Associated Press, Dec. 26, 2018, Trump greets US troops in Germany
• CBS News, July 1, 2019, Trump crosses into North Korea, meets with Kim Jong Un
• Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2021, Trump’s presidency ends where so much of it was spent: A Trump Organization property

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here .

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta .

• White House

Obama Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan

P resident Barack Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Sunday — his first visit to Afghanistan in two years and his fourth trip as President overall — and pledged a “responsible end” to the war there by the end of 2014.

During the visit, Obama spoke to troops, visited a base hospital and met with military officials to discuss troop presence in Afghanistan as the country’s longest war comes to a close. Country singer Brad Paisley flew with Obama on Air Force One to perform for the troops.

“I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d stop by,” Obama said. “I’m here on a single mission and that’s to say thank you for your extraordinary service … I’m also here representing 300 million Americans who want to say thank you as well.”

The President called it a “pivotal moment” for the war in Afghanistan, with U.S. forces preparing to end their combat role by the end of the year as Afghan forces take the lead in securing the country’s safety. “By the end of this year the transition will be complete … and our combat mission will be over,” said Obama, to some of the loudest applause of the speech. “America’s war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end.”

He ended his remarks with a promise to shake every hand in the room. “Though I may not be able to take a selfie with everybody,” he added.

Ben Rhodes, the deputy national-security adviser for strategic communications, said the Obama Administration felt the Memorial Day weekend trip was “an opportunity for the President to thank American troops and civilians for their service.”

There are no meetings scheduled with Afghanistan’s outgoing President Hamid Karzai or either of the leading candidates in the country’s ongoing presidential election. A White House official said the Administration had invited Karzai to attend the President’s visit, but it hadn’t worked out due to the last-minute timing. “The President will likely be speaking by phone with President Karzai in the days to come, and also looks forward to working with Afghanistan’s next President after the election is complete,” said the official.

Afghanistan’s two runoff presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, have both said they would support a bilateral agreement allowing some U.S. soldiers to stay — an agreement Karzai opposes. Obama said on Sunday he was “hopeful” he would be able to sign an agreement with Afghanistan’s next President that would keep a limited military presence there after 2014.

“We want to make sure Afghanistan can never be used ever again to launch an attack against our country,” he said.

— With reporting by Zeke J. Miller

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President Barack Obama Visits U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama participates in a rally for American Troops at Bagram Airfield in Bagram, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 25, 2014.

Headed to Afghanistan on Air Force One, country singer Brad Paisley works on his setlist with Kendal Marcy, Saturday, May 24, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Obama secretly visits US troops in Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — President Barack Obama secretly slipped into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness Sunday for a weekend visit with U.S. troops serving in the closing months of America’s longest war.

Air Force One landed at Bagram Air Field, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, after an overnight flight from Washington. Obama was scheduled to spend just a few hours on the base and had no plans to travel to Kabul, the capital, to meet with Hamid Karzai, the mercurial president who has had a tumultuous relationship with the White House. Obama’s surprise trip comes as the U.S. and NATO withdraw most of their forces ahead of a year-end deadline. Obama is seeking to keep a small number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to train Afghan security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions. But that plan is contingent on Karzai’s successor signing a bilateral security agreement that Karzai has refused to authorize.

Obama’s visit also was taking place against the backdrop of growing outrage in the United States over the treatment of America’s war veterans. More than two dozen veterans’ hospitals across America are under investigation over allegations of treatment delays and deaths, putting greater scrutiny on the Department of Veterans Affairs. The agency already was struggling to keep up with the influx of forces returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq.

At least 2,181 members of the U.S. military have died during the nearly 13-year Afghan war and thousands more have been wounded. There are still about 32,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, down from a high of 100,000 in mid-2010, when as Obama sent in additional soldiers to quell escalating violence.

This was Obama’s fourth visit to Afghanistan as president, but his first since winning re-election in 2012.

He was expected to be briefed by U.S. commanders in Afghanistan, speak to troops at Bagram and visit injured troops being treated at a base hospital.

As is typical of recent presidential trips to war zones, the White House did not announce Obama’s visit in advance. Media traveling with Obama for the 13-hour flight had to agree to keep the trip secret until the president arrived at the air base.

Obama has staked much of his foreign policy philosophy on ending the two wars he inherited from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

The final American troops withdrew from Iraq in the closing days of 2011 after the U.S. and Iraq failed to reach a security agreement to keep a small American residual force in the country. In the years that have followed the American withdrawal, Iraq has been battered by resurgent waves of violence.

U.S. officials say they’re trying to avoid a similar scenario in Afghanistan. While combat forces are due to depart at the end of this year, Obama administration officials have pressed to keep some troops in Afghanistan after 2014 to continue training the Afghan security forces and undertake counterterrorism missions.

Pentagon officials have pushed for as many as 10,000 troops; others in the administration favor as few as 5,000 troops. Obama has insisted he will not keep any Americans in Afghanistan without a signed security agreement that would grant those forces immunity from Afghan law.

U.S. officials had hoped plans a post-2014 force would be well underway by this point. But Karzai stunned U.S. officials this year by saying he would not sign the security agreement even though he helped negotiate the terms. The move signaled that Karzai does not want his legacy to include a commitment to allow the deployment of international troops in his country any longer.

Karzai’s decision compounded his already tense relationship with officials in Washington who have grown increasingly frustrated by his anti-American rhetoric and decision to release prisoners over the objections of U.S. officials. Obama and Karzai have spoken just once in the past year.

By skipping a meeting with Karzai while in Afghanistan, Obama is signaling that the White House already has discounted the Afghan president as a worthwhile partner.

Karzai, the only president Afghans have known since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban’s Islamic rule, was constitutionally barred from running for a third term this year. An election to choose his successor was held this month, with the top two candidates advancing to a June runoff.

Both of those candidates, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, have promised a fresh start with the West and pledged to move ahead with the security pact with the United States.

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27 Times the Commander-in-Chief Visited a Combat Zone

BY BLAKE STILWELL - WEARETHEMIGHTY.COM

Generally, American presidents feel an obligation to see situations firsthand when they commit troops to war. To wit, here are 27 times commanders-in-chief left the White House and headed for combat zones:

1. FDR visits Casablanca as Allied forces assault Tripoli, January 1943

Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference

2. FDR visits the Mediterranean island of Malta to confer with Winston Churchill, February 1945

3. Roosevelt meets Stalin and Churchill at Yalta, February 1945

4. Ike goes to Korea, December 1952

5. LBJ stops in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, 1966

(LBJ Library)

6. LBJ returns to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, 1967

7. Nixon visits in Saigon, South Vietnam, July 1969

(Nixon Library Photo)

8. Reagan stops at the Korean DMZ for lunch, November 1983

President Reagan in the food line during his trip to the Republic of Korea and a visit to the DMZ Camp Liberty Bell and lunch with the troops (Reagan Library photo)

9. Bush 41 drops in for Thanksgiving with U.S. troops during Desert Shield, 1990

(Bush Library)

10. Clinton with U.S. troops at Camp Casey, South Korea, 1993

(DoD photo)

11. Clinton visits U.S. troops in Bosnia, January 1996

Bill Clinton visiting U.S. troops at Tuzla Air Base in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1996. (DoD photo)

12. Clinton returns to Bosnia in December 1997 to visit NATO and U.S. troops

President Bill Clinton shakes hands with soldiers at the Tuzla Air Field, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Dec. 22, 1997. The president was accompanied by his wife Hillary, their daughter Chelsea, former Senator Bob Dole and his wife Elizabeth, for the holiday visit with the troops. (DoD photo by Spc. Richard L. Branham, U.S. Army)

13. Bush 43 grabs chow with the troops in South Korea, 2002

(White House Photo)

14. Bush 43 surprises troops in Iraq, November 2003

President George W. Bush pays a surprise visit to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). He gives an uplifting speech at the Bob Hope dining facility on Thanksgiving Day to all the troops stationed there. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon)

15. Bush 43 returns to South Korea, Osan Air Base, 2005

16. Bush 43 visits Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, March 2006

President George Bush shakes hands with Sgt. Derek Kessler, 10th Mountain Division Headquarters Company driver. (U.S. Army photo)

17. Bush 43 visits troops in Baghdad, June 2006

(White House photo)

18. Bush 43 visits Al-Anbar province, Iraq, September 2007

President Bush: Visit Regimental Combat Team-2, Marine Wing Support Combat Patrol. Al Asad Airbase, Al Anbar Province, Iraq (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

19. Bush 43 returns to South Korea, August 2008

20. Bush 43 makes one last stop in Iraq, December 2008

21. Obama stops in Iraq to see the troops, April 2009

22. Obama stops into Osan Air Base, South Korea, November 2009

23. Obama makes his first stop at Bagram Air Base, December 2010

(U.S. Army photo)

24. Obama visits the DMZ, South Korea, March 2012

25. Obama makes his second trip to Afghanistan, May 2012

President Barack Obama greets U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field after a surprise visit to Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

26. Obama visits Yongsan Garrison, South Korea 2014

27. Obama makes what could be his last trip to Afghanistan, May 2014

MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY:

The 4 US Presidents with the craziest war stories

8 Presidents who actually saw combat in a big way

These photos show what our veteran presidents looked like in uniform

We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty .

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Biden to tout American global leadership during trip to France

Biden will commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday in Normandy.

President Joe Biden arrived in France early Wednesday morning where he looks to highlight America’s world stage leadership -- past and present -- as conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza remain top focuses for him and allies, the White House said.

Biden will begin his "action-packed" trip commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, the day Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in World War II, according to the White House.

While there, he will also meet with American veterans who "exhibited remarkable bravery, skill and intrepidity" and deliver remarks touting "the continued impact of their contributions" during the war, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.

And, in contrast to rival Donald Trump, Biden plans to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, where thousands of American troops, many of whom fought in World War I, are buried. ( Trump did not attend a ceremony there while he was in France in 2018.)

Reporter's notebook: A Black WWII hero is finally honored, 80 years after lifesaving D-Day courage

"The message is simple: that the service and the sacrifice of American troops in wars overseas should never be forgotten," Kirby said of Biden visiting the cemetery. "And our commitment to honor that sacrifice should never waver, and our obligations to those they leave behind, even though it may be generations ago, can never be lessened."

He said Americans have a "somber and sober" obligation to acknowledge fallen soldiers because "they didn’t sacrifice their futures for nothing."

On Friday, Biden will deliver remarks on defending freedom and democracy at Pointe du Hoc, a 100-foot cliff Army Rangers scaled under gunfire to seize German artillery that could have been fired upon American forces landing on Omaha Beach down below.

"He'll talk about the stakes of that moment. An existential fight between dictatorship and freedom," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. "He'll talk about the men who scaled those cliffs and how they put themselves behind -- they put the country ahead of themselves.

"And he'll talk about the dangers of isolationism and how if we back [down?] to dictators, fail to stand up to them, they keep going and, ultimately, America and the world pays a greater price," Sullivan added.

Women veterans return to Normandy for 80th D-Day anniversary

While Biden is in France, Kirby said Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza will be major points of discussion.

"This visit will come at an important moment as Ukraine continues to face down Russian threats in its east and north, and as we are working to address the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East," Kirby said.

He said that discussion will be had both in France and at the G7 Summit in Italy next week, on how the U.S. and its allies can pursue the "worthwhile endeavor" of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, particularly with reconstruction.

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Sullivan said Biden will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in both Normandy and on the sidelines of the G7 and will discuss "how we can continue and deepen our support for Ukraine."

Video: Biden gives permission to Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with US weapons

He said the two meetings will give Zelenskyy and Biden -- who will miss Ukraine's peace summit in Switzerland this month in favor of a glitzy fundraiser with former President Barack Obama, George Clooney and Julia Roberts -- the opportunity "to go deep on every aspect and every issue in the war."

Vice President Kamala Harris and Sullivan will represent the U.S. at the peace summit.

Biden is also scheduled to go to Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome him for a state visit, which will include a dinner and a meeting, during which they will discuss world issues, the White House said.

As part of the state visit, the two men will announce new steps they are taking to deepen Indo-Pacific cooperation, boost clean energy investments, increase nuclear energy capacity, and how the U.S. and France are working together to ensure the 2024 Paris Olympics are safe, Kirby said. He would not get into specifics.

Biden says only Hamas stands in way of cease-fire, but questions about Israel remain

Despite the U.S. and its allies walking in lockstep on many issues, including Ukraine, one issue where there has become some separation is the Israel-Hamas war, including with some nations unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state, Kirby said.

"Many nations have different views, of course, about what's going on in Gaza," Kirby admitted, adding that Biden "respects that, he appreciates that. It's the very idea of sovereignty, and territorial integrity and the precepts of the U.N. Charter that apply, and he respects all that. It doesn't mean we have to agree on everything."

"He doesn't make national security decisions based on popularity and he doesn't do it based on contrary opinions outside the United States," Kirby added.

But, overall, Kirby said Biden's engagements in France will highlight the importance of American leadership on the global stage.

"When he talks about American leadership, it's not an arrogant leadership," Kirby said. "It's a humble leadership."

"He recognizes that, for as powerful as we are, as much good as we can do, we need help," Kirby said. "Our allies and partners bring things to the endeavor that we can't always bring."

Kirby added: "We send a much stronger signal about lofty words like peace and freedom and stability and security when we're working in concert with one another."

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Biden aims to deepen transatlantic ties with trip to France for D-Day, state visit amid Ukraine crisis

U S President Joe Biden touched down in Paris on Wednesday for a trip marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day and engaging in a state visit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

But the task at hand will be far loftier, as Biden seeks to deepen ties with transatlantic allies as Europe faces a re-energized Russia inside Ukraine, the looming threat of China and the risk posed by elections that could upset the current geopolitical order.

Biden “really believes we’re at an inflection point in history,” John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said. “It’s tied to the way geopolitics are changing, the way challenges are being presented to us around the world.”

In Normandy, Biden and other Western leaders will recount one particular challenge facing allied forces on June 6, 1944 – the largest military invasion by sea in history – which counted more than 10,000 casualties and became a pivotal moment in the war against Nazi Germany. This year’s anniversary is likely the last major commemoration in which D-Day veterans, now nearing 100 years old, are on hand to bear witness.

From Pointe-du-Hoc, which separates Omaha and Utah beaches where American troops landed, Biden will deliver a speech on the power of democracy on Friday, leaning on the visceral imagery from that day to talk about the men who gave their lives in pursuit of democracy.

“Making it clear what you stand for and what you stand against matters today,” Kirby said, acknowledging the importance of Europe bolstering American leadership. Biden “recognizes that, for as powerful as we are and as much good as we can do, we need help.”

The president arrived in France Wednesday morning and will head to Normandy on Thursday to partake in the ceremonies marking the D-Day anniversary. After the speech from Pointe-du-Hoc on Friday – a place famous in American military history for the heroic climb of Army Rangers up its 100-foot cliffs where they were able to neutralize German guns firing down on the beach – Biden is set to be fêted with a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, returning the favor Biden offered the French leader in 2022 .

The solemn visit to Normandy and the subsequent state visit are now likely to be even more closely watched after the Wall Street Journal published a story that called into question the president’s mental acuity behind closed doors. The story, which published just after Air Force One took off for France, again brought Biden’s age to the forefront of the political conversation ahead of a grueling few weeks of travel that includes the trip to France, a return to Washington, the Group of 7 summit in Italy and a June 15 fundraiser in Los Angeles. The White House has slammed the Journal report.

“Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. “Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues.”

The Journal story was based on interviews with more than 45 people – both Democrat and Republican – and included administration officials who defended the president’s performance. Most of those critical of Biden in the report were Republicans, the Journal said, though some Democrats acknowledged Biden showing signs of his age.

The visit to France aims to bring Biden closer to one of his key allies on the world stage. Macron has been one of the key leaders in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. France has doubled its defense budget, announced it would surpass NATO’s 2% defense spending benchmark, and restarted domestic production of critical military inputs. In April, Macron visited a Eurenco factory that would make gunpowder after years of outsourcing the production.

“It is today that the question of peace and war on our continent is being answered, as is our ability or inability to ensure our own security,” Macron said in a recent speech.

Biden is set to meet with Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelensky  while they are in Normandy and again on the sidelines of the G7 in Italy next week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

The visit comes at a critical time in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has begun using Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia for the first time. Ukraine had for months pleaded with Washington to allow it to strike targets on Russian soil with US weapons, as Moscow launched a brutal aerial and ground assault on Kharkiv, safe in the knowledge that its troops could retreat back to Russian soil to regroup and its weapons depots could not be targeted with Western arms.

Biden quietly gave Ukraine permission to use those weapons; Macron was less subtle in his support for the measure.

“Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia. So how do we explain to the Ukrainians that we’re going to have to protect these towns and basically everything we’re seeing around Kharkiv at the moment, if we tell them you are not allowed to hit the point from which the missiles are fired?” Marcon stated during a visit to Schloss Meseberg in Brandenburg, Germany last week.

“We think that we should allow them to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked,” Macron continued.

The French leader has been among the most vocal supporters of the Ukrainian cause in Europe, refusing to rule out sending French military trainers to Ukraine to assist Kyiv in its fight.

But ultimately the United States is footing much of the bill for Ukraine’s defense.

The United States has sent $175 billion to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion – eclipsing the $171 billion in today’s dollars that the US sent to 16 European countries to rebuild after World War II.

By contrast, European Union member states  together have sent  Ukraine $53 billion in direct financial assistance and $35 billion in military aid.

The World Bank has estimated rebuilding Ukraine would cost more than $500 billion. And the war isn’t over yet.

Finding the funds to pay for that capacity could prove challenging. European Union countries consistently spend more than they make in tax revenue, and the governments borrow money to cover those costs. While the United States has higher overall deficits and debt levels, its economy and population are growing more quickly.

Macron has nonetheless promised Zelensky continued support, promising more military aid last month “in the coming days and weeks.”

CNN’s Jessie Gretener, Mariya Knight and Joseph Ataman contributed to this report.

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During west point commencement speech, biden applauds u.s. military role abroad.

Juliana Kim

President Biden speaks to the Class of 2024 during commencement exercises at West Point on Saturday in West Point, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

In his first commencement speech to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as as commander-in-chief, President Biden on Saturday spoke directly about the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

"There's never been a time in history we've asked our military to do so many different things in so many different places around the world all at the same time," Biden said in West Point, N.Y.

In his address to the Army's newest officers, the president reaffirmed his commitment to fight against tyrants and threats to peace, freedom and openness. He vowed to support Ukraine and called for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that includes the return of all hostages. Biden also condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran for escalating conflicts in their regions.

He ended his speech by urging the graduating cadets to hold true to the oaths made at West Point.

"On your very first day at West Point, you raised your right hands and took an oath," he said. "Not to a political party, not to a president, but to the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

At Morehouse, Biden says dissent should be heard because democracy is 'still the way'

Biden's remarks come amid growing scrutiny over U.S. foreign policy, especially as it relates to Israel's war in Gaza. At a graduation ceremony at Morehouse College last week , some students turned their backs to Biden during his commencement speech in protest.

Biden says U.S. is "standing strong" with Ukraine

In his speech, Biden repeated his support for Ukraine, adding that Russia's military was no match for the full force of NATO.

The president vowed to continue U.S. efforts to train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use advanced weapons systems, as well as teach Ukrainian medics on tactical combat and casualty care. But in the same vein, Biden underscored that he did not plan to put U.S. troops on the front lines.

"There are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine and I'm determined to keep it that way," he said. "But we are standing strong with Ukraine and we will stand with them."

Biden cites U.S. role in the Middle East

Biden also spoke highly about the U.S. involvement in the Middle East, applauding food drop operations to Gaza and diplomacy efforts with Arab nations in the region. He did not touch on Israel's war in Gaza, except to say he supported an "immediate cease-fire that brings hostages home."

In Georgia, Biden’s coalition has frayed since his narrow win in 2020

Instead, Biden focused on America's swift response to Iran, describing the U.S. involvement in helping to intercept missiles and drones during Iran's attack against Israel last month. He also briefly spoke about the unmanned drone attack in Jordan launched by Iran-backed militants, which killed three American reservists and injured several other U.S. service members.

"When anyone targets American troops, we will deliver justice to them. That happened earlier this year when three heroic members of the U.S. Army Reserve were killed in an unmanned drone attack in northeast Jordan," Biden said.

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Kenyan President’s State Visit: An Antidote to U.S. Troubles in Africa?

The White House is hosting President William Ruto of Kenya for a state dinner this week, an embrace that both countries urgently need.

By Declan Walsh

Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya

As other African nations move away from the United States, disillusioned with democracy or lured by rival powers, President William Ruto of Kenya arrives in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit intended to showcase a stalwart American ally on the continent.

A spate of military coups , shaky elections and raging wars have upended Africa’s political landscape in the past year, giving an edge to American rivals like Russia and China, but also shredding Washington’s key selling point: that democracy delivers.

In Niger, a recently installed military junta has asked American troops to leave . Relations with once-firm American allies like South Africa and Ethiopia are decidedly cool. A recent election in Senegal , long considered a beacon of stability, nearly went off the rails .

Mr. Ruto, the Biden administration hopes, is the antidote to those troubles.

Since he came to power two years ago, Mr. Ruto, 57, has pulled Kenya, the economic powerhouse of East Africa, ever closer to the United States. His visit is just the sixth state visit hosted by the Biden administration, and the first for an African president since 2008.

In some respects, President Biden is atoning for a broken promise. At a high profile Africa summit in Washington in December 2022, Mr. Biden declared he was “all in” on Africa, and pledged to make a visit to the continent in the following year. The trip never materialized.

In choosing Mr. Ruto, the Biden administration is confirming that it views the Kenyan leader as one of its closest security, diplomatic and economic partners in Africa.

The two countries cooperate closely to fight militants with Al Shabab in Somalia. American corporate giants like Google have sizable operations in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which is also a hub of diplomatic efforts to end the chaos in neighboring countries like Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Very soon, Kenya is expected to start deploying 1,000 paramilitary police officers to help quell unrest Haiti — a dangerous mission largely funded by the United States and one which runs significant political risks for Mr. Ruto if Kenyan personnel are injured or killed.

And Mr. Ruto has adroitly garnered American support for his outspoken advocacy on global issues like debt relief, reform of international financial institutions and climate change, on which he is attempting to carve out a reputation as Africa’s leading statesman.

“We live the nightmare of climate change every day,” he said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, hours before he flew to the United States. Nearly 300 Kenyans died in the past month as heavy rains lashed the country , causing floods that forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

“A year ago we were deep in drought,” he said during the interview, speaking in an open pavilion next to State House, his official residence in Nairobi, as thunder rolled and more rain fell. “This is the case of many countries on the continent.”

It’s not many years since Mr. Ruto was considered part of the problem in Kenya. A decade ago he was on trial at the International Criminal Court , facing accusations of orchestrating post-election violence that left over 1,100 Kenyans dead. At the trial, his lawyer was Karim Khan, currently the court’s prosecutor. The United States backed the prosecution, seeing it as a chance to end impunity in Kenya’s political class.

But the trial collapsed in 2016, after witnesses disappeared or changed their testimony, and Mr. Ruto’s electoral triumphs eclipsed the trial at home: He was elected vice-president in 2013 and 2018, and then president in 2022.

“So much was said about who we were in that episode,” he said, referring also to former President Uhuru Kenyatta who faced similar charges. “But doesn’t it strike you that finally we were elected by the same people we were being accused of harming? That tells you the whole narrative was false.”

An American official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said that Mr. Ruto had been privately urged to confront indirectly what was described as his “I.C.C. hangover” early into his visit. At his first speech on Monday, at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum and Library in Atlanta, he vowed to keep Kenya “on the path of an open society, strongly committed to greater accountability and transparency, with robust engagement of civil society.”

Mr. Ruto also needs the trip to succeed. As he has made about 50 foreign trips since 2022, gathering support for his ideas, his popularity at home has plunged. Faced with a crippling debt crisis — Kenya owes about $77 billion — Mr. Ruto introduced tax hikes that brought cries of protest from his citizens.

Some Kenyans call him “Zakayo,” in reference to the biblical tax collector Zacchaeus. The reference makes him smile. “I have been very candid with the people of Kenya that I cannot continue to borrow money,” he said, predicting he would eventually win over his critics.

Still, time is running short, and Mr. Ruto’s big idea for turning around the economy is to ride the wave of green energy. Over 90 percent of Kenya’s energy comes from renewable sources — mostly wind and geothermal springs — a natural advantage Mr. Ruto hopes to leverage to convert Kenya into an industrial powerhouse.

He wants foreign companies to move to Kenya, where their products would be carbon neutral. He is also selling Kenya as an enormous carbon sink, tapping into the nascent industry of sucking carbon from the atmosphere, then burying it deep in the rock formations of the Rift Valley.

“ How do we move Africa from a continent of potential to a continent of opportunity and finally to a continent of investment?” he said. Last month, Microsoft and two other firms announced they were building a 1 gigawatt data center, powered by renewable energy in Naivasha, 40 miles northwest of Nairobi.

Still, Mr. Ruto’s embrace of Washington and democracy are not universally popular in Africa. Disillusionment with sham elections and corrupt elites has fed young people’s support for recent military coups in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

“There is a perception that democracy hasn’t delivered, that elites which had come to power through elections were not delivering,” said Murithi Mutiga, Africa director at International Crisis Group. Yet, he added, Kenya’s example of stability and steady growth proved that while democracy can be “messy, difficult, noisy and tough,” it still works.

Mr. Ruto is scheduled to spend much of Wednesday with members of Congress. On Thursday he lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery before meetings with Mr. Biden and a state dinner at the White House. The pomp and prestige is a major prize for a first-term president who, critics charge, has a strong authoritarian streak.

Last year Mr. Ruto launched public attacks on judges whose rulings obstructed his policies, reviving fears he could eventually take Kenya down an authoritarian route.

And like other African leaders, he is not afraid to play the field of foreign suitors.

Last year, to American dismay, Mr. Ruto hosted President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, and foreign minister Sergei V. Lavrov of Russia. In October, Mr. Ruto flew to Beijing for a three-day state visit to China.

Mr. Ruto dismissed the suggestion that he is a darling of the West, or anyone else.

“This is not about taking sides,” he said. “It’s about interests. There’s absolutely no contradiction to working with different countries. It’s just common sense.”

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Biden to make his first state visit to France after attending D-Day 80th commemorations next week

FILE - France’s President Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden during a family photo of leaders of the G7 and invited countries during the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, western Japan, Saturday, May 20, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Thursday that U.S. President Joe Biden will make his first state visit to France next week after attending D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Normandy. Macron will be hosting Biden and his wife Jill on June 8, the statement said. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Thursday that U.S. President Joe Biden will make his first state visit to France next week after attending D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Normandy.

Macron will be hosting Biden and his wife Jill on June 8, the statement said.

Both presidents will discuss “the need for unwavering, long-term support for Ukraine” at a time when war has returned to Europe, 80 years after the landings that led to the liberation of France and the continent from Nazi Germany’s occupation, Macron’s office said.

In Normandy next week, major commemorations will draw 25 heads of state and government, along with dozens of World War II veterans , to honor the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the United States, Canada and other nations that landed on June 6, 1944.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among those expected to attend .

Biden’s state visit will allow “close coordination” between France and the U.S. on world crises ahead of international events including the summit of the Group of Seven major economies next month in Italy and the NATO summit in Washington in July.

Discussions also will include climate-related issues and will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic, space and nuclear fields, the statement said.

Macron and his wife Brigitte went on a state visit to the U.S. in Dec. 2022.