The White House says it is ‘not a day for politics’ amid calls for Biden’s resignation after the Kabul suicide bombings

• White House press secretary Jen Psaki has dismissed calls for President Joe Biden to resign.
• GOP lawmakers are asking Biden to step down after suicide bombings in Kabul killed 13 service members.
• “It’s not a day for politics,” said Psaki, adding that August 26 should be about honoring the lives of US military members who died in the blasts.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on August 26 dismissed calls from GOP lawmakers for President Joe Biden to resign over the suicide bombings outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed at least 13 US military members and dozens of Afghans.

“I would say, first, this is a day where US service members – 12 of them – lost their lives at the hands of terrorists,” Psaki said.

A 13th service member was declared dead following Psaki’s remarks.

“I can confirm that subsequent to Gen. McKenzie’s remarks, a thirteenth US service member has died from his wounds suffered as a result of the attack on Abbey Gate,” a spokesperson from CENTCOM said.

“It’s not a day for politics, and we would expect that any American, whether they’re elected or not, would stand with us in our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live, and to honoring the memory of service members. And that’s what this day is for,” Psaki added.

Biden is facing calls to resign from at least 20 House Republicans and conservative figures like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

“To say that today’s loss of American lives in Kabul is sickening does not begin to do justice to what has happened. It is enraging. And Joe Biden is responsible. It is now clear beyond all doubt that he has neither the capacity nor the will to lead. He must resign,” Hawley tweeted on August 26.

Haley also tweeted on August 26: “Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes. But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us. #ItDidntHaveToBeThisWay #GodBlessOurTroops #AfghanistanDisaster.”

According to Andrew Solender, a reporter for The Hill, Georgia lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene also sent out a campaign fundraising email on August 26 after the Kabul bombings titled “MTG impeaches Joe Biden,” calling for the president to be removed from his post.

Biden on Thursday promised to complete the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan. The president also said that he had ordered the US military commanders to formulate a plan for a retaliatory strike against the terrorist organization, which will take place at a time of America’s choosing.

“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said, speaking to ISIS-K directly during his address to the nation on Thursday.

Horrific images and videos have been coming out of Kabul, with witnesses to the deadly bombings describing the moment when people were blown up before their eyes and how children died in the arms of rescuers.

The current tally from the suicide blasts is believed to be more than 60 deaths and 140 injuries. Afghan health officials and Taliban representatives are offering differing casualty numbers. The AP and Reuters have reported that at least 60 Afghans were killed in the suicide blasts, while The New York Times is reporting that 120 to 140 people were injured.