Donald Trump stated that President Joe Biden had’surrendered to Afghanistan’ by withdrawing troops at the time of Taliban seizure in August. And warned that China would now be taking the Bagram Air Base.
Trump said that what the US did to withdraw, which in reality was a surrender, was the most humiliating, terrible thing that they could have done, in an interview with Fox News published Sunday.
The former president said that even though he was planning a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan during his presidency, he would have maintained a presence and hold at the Parwan Detention Facility—a military prison on the Bagram Air Base.
He stated that doing so would have ensured that China wouldn’t seize the base, and that no prisoners escaped.
Trump stated to Fox, ‘We would’ve kept Bagram as it’s next to China. “And it’s one hour from their nuclear facility. We gave up that too.”
“And now China’s going to overtake Bagram,” he said.
Trump claimed that Biden’s botched withdrawal which resulted in 13 U.S. troop deaths and thousands of Americans and Allies stranded, and an immediate Taliban takeover, was being ignored.
“They stop talking about it.” He said that they don’t speak about it intentionally. It was so severe that it was almost killing me. It ended three days and two days later, but they didn’t even mention it again.
Donald Trump called Biden’s withdrawal Afghanistan from Afghanistan a “surrender” and warned that removing the presence of Bagram Air Base could result in China taking over
Biden’s team insisted that their actions were correct despite the disastrous aftermath of the withdrawal. This led immediately to Taliban overthrowing the Afghan government.
President’s Team maintains that it was impossible to have foreseen the swift takeover without U.S. forces present.
Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor for Afghanistan told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday that his administration feels the U.S. in a much better place being out of Afghanistan then it would be if they continued the mission.
‘The fundamental decisions— the decision to leave, the decision to continue the drawdown over the course of the summer, and the decision to ultimately execute on this contingency plan and run this evacuation up through August 31 — the president has stood by those decisions,’ Sullivan said.
He stated that he stood behind the decisions made and believed that America’s national interest are better served by leaving Afghanistan today, than being in Afghanistan.
Trump stated to Fox that he held ‘the generals accountable’ for the botched withdrawal and death of 13 U.S. service members.
“They had to have been able speak.” [Biden]Trump stated, “It is logical.” “But, you must hold them accountable for allowing this to happen,” Trump stated.
Zakaria said that Biden’s poll numbers were at their lowest point in August, during the middle part of withdrawal.
FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval ratings show that August 30, 2008 was the first occasion Biden’s disapproval exceeded his approval rating by a margin between 47.5 percent and 47.2 percent.
Biden disapproval of the election was 50 percent on October 20.
All U.S. military forces were removed from Bagram by the Biden government in July.
In August the Pentagon declared that ISIS K prisoners had been freed by the Taliban.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s National Security Advisor, stated to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that it was in the U.S. national interests for Afghanistan to remain outright.
Trump and the Taliban reached a settlement during his administration to allow for troop withdrawals in May 2021.
Trump told Fox, “Don’t forget that I brought it down to 2,500 troops.” Trump replied, “I would have been out also but we would’ve been out with strength.” It would have been with strength that we came out.
Trump stated that ‘It was the right time to escape, but his way out was a complete disaster.
‘We would have gotten all the people out, we would have brought all of our equipment out, we wouldn’t have had dead soldiers, we wouldn’t have soldiers missing arms and legs—because people don’t even talk about that—we lost 13, but we have many that have been gravely wounded,’ Trump said in describing how a withdrawal under his leadership may have gone.
‘None of that would have happened,’ he said in reference to dead servicemembers and stranded Americans and allies – as well as the Taliban takeover in the matter of days after the withdrawal.