President Donald Trump on Monday marked the fourth anniversary of the suicide bombing at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, signing a proclamation honoring the fallen.

Trump was joined by around 35 family members of those killed, including one wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap. He used the occasion to criticize Democratic President Joe Biden, saying the attack reflected failures by his predecessor.

“That was a terrible day,” Trump said, referring to the bombing that also killed more than 150 Afghans on August 26, 2021.

“And I think it was the worst day, and in many ways the most embarrassing day, in the history of our country. One of the dumbest days in the history of our country by the previous administration.”

Biden’s administration had been following a withdrawal timeline negotiated by the Trump administration in 2020 with the Islamic Emirate. A 2022 government review concluded that decisions by both Trump and Biden contributed to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the IEA’s takeover.

Trump frequently highlighted the bombing and Biden’s handling of it during his 2024 presidential campaign. Families of some of the U.S. service members killed also appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention in July 2024.

On the third anniversary of the attack, Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60 at the invitation of victims’ families.

Biden, marking the third anniversary in 2024, called the 13 Americans “patriots in the highest sense” who “embodied the very best of who we are as a nation: brave, committed, selfless.” He read out the names of the service members killed, saying he carried a card listing them every day since his time as vice president.

Also present at Monday’s proclamation signing were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance. Vance told families the action represented “a rectification of a wrong” because Biden “lost your loved ones through incompetence” and “never actually put pen to paper to say we’re grateful for your sacrifice.”

Trump has directed a new Defense Department review of the withdrawal, with Hegseth saying he expects it to be completed by mid-2026. “The military needs to answer for what happened in Afghanistan,” Hegseth said.