Trump pretends he's a credible critic of Biden's Afghanistan policy

Can you say hypocrite, again?


Trump pretends he's a credible critic of Biden's Afghanistan policy
Trump apparently wants to be seen as a credible critic of Biden's Afghanistan policy. Given the Republican's record, that's ridiculous.
Aug. 16, 2021, 8:54 AM EDT
By Steve Benen


Donald Trump is apparently aware of developments in Afghanistan, watching television from his New Jersey golf resort, and he wants the public to know he's not pleased with his presidential successor.



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Over the weekend, the current president said in a statement, "When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessor -- which he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019 -- that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on U.S. Forces. Shortly before he left office, he also drew U.S. Forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500. Therefore, when I became president, I faced a choice -- follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict."

All of this may seem self-serving for Biden, but the statement had the benefit of being accurate. Trump cut a deal that left the Taliban in a good position. Trump also invited the Taliban to Camp David shortly before the anniversary of 9/11.

At one point, the Trump administration suggested that Taliban might somehow partner with the United States, working "alongside of us to destroy" al Qaeda.

Several months later, Trump announced shortly before Election Day 2020 that he was ending the war in Afghanistan and bringing all troops home "by Christmas."

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https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-pretends-he-s-credible-critic-biden-s-afghanistan-policy-n1276900