On Saturday (August 21), the United States Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer sparked a controversy after he was seen dancing backstage with late-night show host Stephen Colbert in New York City (NYC). Schumer was attending the ‘We Love NYC’ concert at a time when thousands of US citizens are stranded in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The video of the United States Senate Majority leader, breaking into a dance, was shared by Bill Neidhart, who serves as the press secretary of NYC Mayor de Blasio. “Backstage antics,” he tweeted. Soon, netizens slammed Chuck Schumer on social media for his insensitivity and inability to comprehend the severity of the Taliban crisis in Afghanistan.
Backstage antics pic.twitter.com/3v2Ge3E9zM
— Bill Neidhardt (@BNeidhardt) August 21, 2021
Jesse Kelly, the host of the ‘I’m Right’ show, tweeted, “10,000 American civilians trapped behind an army of barbarians in a foreign land. This is how much they care.”
10,000 American civilians trapped behind an army of barbarians in a foreign land. This is how much they care. pic.twitter.com/ktpK4THca4
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) August 22, 2021
“The pain Senator Schumer feels about Afghanistan is palpable,” remarked character actor Nick Seary.
The pain @SenSchumer feels about Afghanistan is palpable. https://t.co/GDR6S7HMoC
— Nick Searcy, INTERNATIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) August 22, 2021
Republican leader Lee Zeldin wrote, “Maybe once Senator Schumer is done dancing with Stephen Colbert, he can call Joe Biden& get him to sign the Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration for our state. The current forecast is predicting a direct hit to Long Island by Hurricane Henri in hours. Stop clowning around & do something!”
Maybe once @SenSchumer is done dancing with @StephenAtHome, he can call @POTUS & get him to sign the Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration for our state. The current forecast is predicting a direct hit to Long Island by Hurricane Henri in hours. Stop clowning around & do something! https://t.co/Ze61jGI9qb
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) August 21, 2021
Professor Tom Nichols tweeted, “I had no compunction about pointing out that Gov. Noem parading through a superspreader event during a national crisis was a symbol of an unserious nation. What Chuck Schumer did today was worse. He’s the Senate Majority Leader. An even greater symbol of utter unseriousness.”
I had no compunction about pointing out that Gov. Noem parading through a superspreader event during a national crisis was a symbol of an unserious nation.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 22, 2021
What Chuck Schumer did today was worse. He’s the Senate Majority Leader. An even greater symbol of utter unseriousness. /1
Republican Candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, Sean parnell, wrote, “10,000 plus Americans are stranded in Afghanistan, surrounded by the enemy & desperate for help & this is what Senate Majority Leader @chuckschumer is doing. Dancing in the street with celebrities. Just so tone deaf & embarrassing for our nation.”
10,000 plus Americans are stranded in Afghanistan, surrounded by the enemy & desperate for help & this is what Senate Majority Leader @chuckschumer is doing.
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) August 22, 2021
Dancing in the street with celebrities.
Just so tone deaf & embarrassing for our nation. https://t.co/6EEw53n7Y8
Americans get beaten by Taliban
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin briefed members of the Congress that Americans in Afghanistan have been beaten by the Taliban. “The Taliban are roaming the streets, beating Americans, beating Afghans and beating our allies and that’s who we’re negotiating with to get our people out and putting our faith in — it’s insane,” one member of the House told the New York Post.
“There remains a massive gap between the message that President Biden shared with the American people and the reality on the ground. He says Americans are not having trouble accessing the airport, while the media is reporting of the Taliban roaming the streets beating Americans and our allies,” Representative Anthony Gonzalez from Ohio told NYP.
Taliban takes over Afghanistan
After a month-long offensive against the Afghan army, the Islamist outfit Taliban finally reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday (August 15). They entered Afghanistan’s presidential palace hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Since then surreal scenes have emerged as people try to flee the country to save their lives. Visuals of Afghan people falling from the sky as they tried to escape while hanging on to the wheels of the airplanes have gone viral on social media. The Talibs have been seen enjoying themselves as the amusement park as well among other surreal scenes.
While the Taliban has promised to preserve women’s rights and grant amnesty to everyone who had run afoul with the terror outfit, the situation on the ground tells a different story. There have been reports emerging from Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan that say the Taliban terrorists have been hunting down their adversaries and exacting revenge from those whom they perceive to have helped the United States and NATO forces. This has added to the panic among the people, who are now either going underground or rushing towards the airport to escape the country.
