President Donald Trump on Saturday renewed his demand that the Taliban return control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, warning in a social media post and in remarks to reporters that there will be consequences if they refuse.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Social Truth, signing the post “President DJT.”
Speaking to reporters later at the White House, Trump said the administration is in talks with the Taliban and repeated his insistence the base be returned quickly. “We’re talking now to Afghanistan. We want it back and we want it back soon. Right away — and if they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m going to do,” he said.
Trump also faulted the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling the handover of the base “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country” and saying there had been “no reason” to abandon Bagram. He said he had proposed retaining the base while reducing troop numbers to 5,000 and later offering 10,000 National Guard troops, a plan he said was blocked by political opponents.
Bagram, about an hour north of Kabul, was the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan and the hub for American operations for nearly two decades. U.S. forces left in 2021 amid a chaotic evacuation and the Taliban took control of the site soon after.
Trump has framed the base as strategically important because of its proximity to parts of China. The Taliban have not publicly responded to his latest statements.
The White House and the Pentagon have not commented on Trump’s remarks or what specific measures, if any, the president might take if the Taliban refuse to return the facility.
