In the midst of Afghanistan's collapse Joe Biden called President Ashraf Ghani to help him "project a different picture" and to stop the narrative from looking bad for his presidency, according to Sky News host James Morrow. In a telephone call with Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani Mr Biden said "I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban. "And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture". "Crucially, Biden also said that if Ghani could do this, he would do everything he could to get Afghanistan all the aid he could," Mr Morrow said. "The political motivation was clear – Biden needed cover to make things look good through his own idiotically self-imposed August 31 deadline for withdrawal. "So that on September 11 he could take credit for ending the so-called forever war which started 20 years previously."