US Troop Deaths Under Joe Biden Compared to Donald Trump

The deaths of three American soldiers—who were killed overseas on Sunday—has prompted a comparison of political records on troops' safety between the two frontrunners fighting it out for the White House.

Three U.S. service members died and at least 34 were wounded this weekend in a drone strike at a base in Jordan near the Syrian border, which officials say was carried out by Iran-backed militants. Jordan is a close ally of the U.S. and has condemned the "terrorist" attack, while Biden said that "we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing."

The incident sparked outrage at home, and several prominent Republicans have called on the Biden administration to strike Iran. However, the president has been vague about exactly how he plans to respond. Experts say Biden is wary of a direct hit on Iran that could ignite a major war with the Middle East and place further American troops at risk.

His main Presidential rival, former Republican President Donald Trump, has blamed the Democratic leader for the attack in the first place. "Our Country cannot survive with Joe Biden as Commander in Chief," Trump wrote on the Truth Social site on Sunday night. "This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden's weakness and surrender." The Republican 2024 frontrunner added that the attack "would NEVER have happened if I was President, not even a chance."

Newsweek emailed representatives for Trump and Biden on Monday, seeking comment on their own—and their rival's—record on U.S. service member deaths.

But how do Trump's claims stand up in terms of safeguarding U.S. troops?

Some 65 American service members died in combat while serving Trump during his time in the White House office from January 2017 to January 2021. There were fatalities every year of his presidency, according to the "hostile action" records compiled by the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), which is maintained by a government defense agency.

Of those 65 deaths, there were 45 combat deaths reported in Afghanistan alone, according to the Associated Press.

However, it must be noted that the U.S. was involved in Afghanistan for the entirety of Trump's stint in the White House. That has not been the case under Biden, who pulled out troops in a controversially chaotic withdrawal in August 2021.

Biden has not yet finished his term, and is set to remain in office until standing again for election in November, so a full record of "hostile" deaths is not yet possible. In addition, DCAS has not yet collated the yearly figures for 2023 nor uploaded any so far this year. However, stats for 2021 and 2022 are available, making it possible to assess half of Biden's time in office in terms of "hostile action" deaths.

During 2022, by which time the U.S. had left Afghanistan, there was not a single death caused by "hostile action," according to DCAS. However, 13 were killed in one deadly bombing the year before, during the messy withdrawal from the country.

The figures are still being compiled for 2023, but it is known that three troops lost their lives in an attack over the weekend, meaning that 2024 has already begun in hostile bloodshed, less than a month into the New Year. Newsweek has reached out by email to DCAS seeking further data about 2023.