Episode Introduction
Six days after the only presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Breaking Battlegrounds looked at her record. On Podcast 208, host Sam Stone and guest co-host Sean Noble talk with Dr. William Walters, a retired soldier with three combat tours in Iraq and a former senior State Department official. They discuss Harris’s role in the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and the arrival of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which had become a national campaign issue.
David Harsanyi, a senior writer at the Washington Examiner, then analyzes the debate and what he describes as Harris’s policy reversals. The episode ends with Jenna’s Sunshine Moment.
Quick Answer
Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast 208, recorded September 16, 2024, features Dr. William Walters, a retired soldier and former State Department official, on Kamala Harris’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal and the Haitian immigrant population in Springfield, Ohio. Washington Examiner writer David Harsanyi analyzes the September 10 Trump-Harris debate and Harris’s changing policy positions.
Episode Overview
The episode was recorded in the final stretch of the 2024 campaign, after Harris had replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.
Walters draws on his military and diplomatic experience to assess Harris’s part in the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Republicans made the withdrawal a central attack on her national security record. He then turns to Springfield, where the rapid growth of the Haitian population had become a campaign flashpoint after it came up at the debate.
Harsanyi follows with his analysis of the debate and what he describes as Harris’s shifts on major policy positions during the campaign. He was also promoting The Rise of BlueAnon, which was published later that fall.
About the Guests
Dr. William Walters is a retired soldier who served three combat tours in Iraq and a former senior State Department official, according to his guest bio. He founded and serves as executive director of the Salus Development Fund, a nonprofit that works to improve life in post-war areas by developing commercial aviation and health infrastructure.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner and a nationally syndicated columnist. He was previously a founding editor of The Federalist, a columnist at the Denver Post and a senior writer at National Review. His book The Rise of BlueAnon: How the Democrats Became a Party of Conspiracy Theorists was published in November 2024. He is on X at @davidharsanyi.
Key Topics Discussed
- Kamala Harris’s role in the August 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal
- The rapid growth of Springfield, Ohio’s Haitian immigrant population and the national debate around it
- The September 10, 2024, Trump-Harris presidential debate
- Harris’s changing positions on major policy issues during the 2024 campaign
- David Harsanyi’s book The Rise of BlueAnon
- Jenna’s Sunshine Moment
Dr. William Walters on Harris and the Afghanistan Withdrawal
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan ended in August 2021 with the Taliban taking Kabul and a chaotic evacuation from the city’s airport. On August 26, a suicide bombing at the airport’s Abbey Gate killed 13 U.S. service members and many Afghan civilians.
During the 2024 campaign, Republicans pointed to Harris’s own 2021 remark that she was the last person in the room when Biden made the decision to withdraw. Democrats argued that the withdrawal timeline came from the Trump administration’s 2020 agreement with the Taliban. Walters gives his assessment of Harris’s role, based on his combat and diplomatic background.
Springfield, Ohio: What Walters Discussed and What the Record Shows
Springfield, a city of about 58,000, took in roughly 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants in the years before 2024, drawn by jobs and affordable housing. During the September 10 debate, Trump repeated online claims that Haitian immigrants there were eating residents’ pets. A Springfield city spokesperson said there had been no credible reports of pets being harmed by members of the immigrant community. The city also said the immigrants were in the country legally, many with Temporary Protected Status.
At the time, then-Senator JD Vance said the immigrants were straining social services. City leaders, including Republican Mayor Rob Rue, said the Haitian population had not caused a rise in crime.
Walters gives his view of the situation in Springfield and of federal immigration policy.
Update: Haitian TPS later became the center of a national legal fight. The Trump administration moved to end Haiti’s designation. A federal judge blocked the termination in February 2026, and Springfield’s Republican mayor welcomed that ruling. On June 25, 2026, however, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the Department of Homeland Security’s termination decision is not subject to judicial review. That cleared the way for TPS for Haitians to end. Many Springfield Haitians have work authorization through other immigration channels.
David Harsanyi on the Trump-Harris Debate and Harris’s Policy Shifts
Harsanyi analyzes the September 10 debate in Philadelphia, which was the only meeting between the two nominees. He then explains what he sees as Harris’s reversals on issues where her 2024 positions differed from earlier ones. His framing comes from a conservative columnist. Harris’s campaign described the changes as evolving positions rather than reversals.
The conversation also touches on the argument of Harsanyi’s then-upcoming book: that Democrats have increasingly adopted conspiracy-driven politics of their own. Harsanyi uses the label BlueAnon for this, a deliberate echo of QAnon.
Key Takeaways From the Conversation
- Walters examines Harris’s role in the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal from the perspective of a combat veteran and former diplomat.
- Springfield’s Haitian population became a national flashpoint in 2024. City officials rejected the viral claims about pets, and the TPS status of Haitian residents was later ended through the courts.
- Harsanyi argues that Harris’s 2024 campaign included significant shifts from her earlier policy positions.
Listen to the Episode
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Related Breaking Battlegrounds Episodes
The show has covered Afghanistan’s aftermath from several angles. On Episode 230, journalist Lynne O’Donnell described her detention by the Taliban and what the world is missing in Afghanistan. She later returned to tell the story of Afghan pilots who fought alongside U.S. forces. The show also covered the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
For context on Haiti, see Michael Deibert on Haiti’s gang violence on Podcast 222. Haiti later appeared on the 2025 travel ban list discussed by Todd Bensman on Podcast 226. Harsanyi returned after his book came out to explain how he believes the left became the party of conspiracy theorists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets?
No. Springfield city officials said there were no credible reports of pets being harmed by members of the immigrant community, and fact-checkers traced a widely shared photo to Columbus, not Springfield. Trump repeated the claim at the September 10, 2024, debate.
Are Springfield’s Haitian immigrants in the U.S. legally?
In 2024, the city said most were in the country legally, many under Temporary Protected Status. In June 2026, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end TPS for Haiti. Some Springfield Haitians hold work authorization through other immigration programs.
What was Kamala Harris’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal?
As vice president, Harris said in 2021 that she was the last person in the room when Biden decided to withdraw. Republicans used that statement to tie her to the August 2021 evacuation. Democrats noted that the withdrawal followed the Trump administration’s 2020 agreement with the Taliban.
What is The Rise of BlueAnon about?
David Harsanyi’s 2024 book argues that Democrats have embraced conspiracy-driven politics, using the label “BlueAnon” as a counterpart to QAnon. Harsanyi discussed it on Breaking Battlegrounds before and after it was published.
