Biden's debate claims led Gold Star father Darin Hoover to 'yell back at the TV'
President Biden is facing criticism from Gold Star families after falsely claiming during Thursday's CNN Presidential Debate that he's the "only president this century, this decade, that doesn't have any troops dying anywhere in the world."
Biden, after denying that 13 American service members were lost in Afghanistan, also said during the debate that "when he [Trump] was president, they were still killing people in Afghanistan. And he didn't do anything about that."
Darin Hoover, Gold Star father of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover who was one of those 13 American service members killed in action on August 26, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan, had a strong reaction to Biden's debate claims.
The younger Hoover, 31, was engaged to be married when he was killed. It was his third tour in Afghanistan.
VOTERS REACT AFTER BIDEN FALSELY CLAIMED THAT NO TROOPS HAD DIED UNDER HIS WATCH
President Joe Biden is under fire from Gold Star families like the Hoovers after denying troops had died under his presidency at CNN's Presidential Debate Thursday. (Darin Hoover, Getty Images)
"I knew Afghanistan was going to come up sooner or later," said Hoover in an interview with Fox News Digital, recalling the debate.
"You know, the stumbling, bumbling buffoon that we have in the White House had the audacity to say that under his watch that no military members have died."
Thirteen American service members died on August 26, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover was one of the 11 Marines who were killed in action that day. (Darin Hoover)
The Gold Star dad added, "the rage, the absolute disgust that I got, from hearing him say that--I started yelling back at the TV. Just out of frustration. He's never acknowledged, not one time, any of our kids. He's never said their names. Even to this day, I doubt very seriously that he even knows their names."
Taylor's mother, Kelly Barnett, had this to say to Biden: "What I would say to them is shame on you using our children as a pawn. It just makes me sick."
"Shame on you using our children as a pawn…"
— Kelly Barnett, mother of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover
"It's sickening, but it goes to the way that we've been treated the past three years. It's three years--we're going on three years now. And it's just disrespect after disrespect. This is probably the cherry on top."
Hoover said the Biden administration sent the 13 Afghanistan Gold Star families letters – a year later.
"All the 13 families get a canned letter. It said the same exact same thing. And it looked like it was a photocopy of all of that. It was basically, we're sorry that your service member had died, and that's been it. We've had absolutely nothing before, nothing since," Hoover added.
Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. He is a Purple Heart recipient. (Darin Hoover)
Hoover has made efforts to meet with Biden on behalf of the 13 lost on August 26, 2021. He said, "as much as we tried it in the past, when we've been going before Congress to try and get a meeting, it's been denied because he's a chicken."
"[Biden] doesn't want to deal with us. He knows that we're in his face, but he doesn't want to deal with us," said Hoover.
"[Biden] doesn't want to deal with us. He knows that we're in his face, but he doesn't want to deal with us."
— Darin Hoover Sr.
According to the St. Charles County Veterans Museum in Missouri, Hoover was bestowed awards including the Purple Heart and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal after 11 years of service to the Marine Corps.
The Biden administration did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Jasmine is a writer at Fox News Digital and a military spouse based in New Orleans. Stories can be sent to