MAR-A-LAGO, Florida — US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday once again criticized the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, asserting that under his leadership, the U.S. would have exited “with dignity and strength,” leaving no military equipment behind for the Taliban to showcase.
“The Taliban wouldn’t be having parades showing our equipment,” Mr. Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, referring to images of U.S. military vehicles and gear being displayed by Taliban fighters after their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Mr. Trump’s remarks were part of a broader critique of President Biden’s foreign policy, including his handling of the war in Ukraine.
“We were not going to leave any equipment behind—not ten cents,” he said. “We were going to take every screw and every bolt.”
Military legacy and criticism
During his first term, Mr. Trump said, his administration focused on rebuilding the military, an effort he claimed was undermined by how the withdrawal from Afghanistan was executed.
“We had a great administration,” he said. “We got the biggest tax cut in history, rebuilt the military—much of which was stupidly and horribly given away to Afghanistan.”
The chaotic end to the 20-year U.S. presence in Afghanistan has drawn bipartisan criticism, with Republicans in particular targeting the Biden administration’s strategy.
The withdrawal, marked by the rapid fall of Kabul and a deadly bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, left billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. military equipment in Taliban hands.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, has defended the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw but acknowledged during testimony to Congress that “the last chapter on Afghanistan has not yet been written.”
