Former Trump Officials Applaud Biden for Afghanistan Withdrawal: ‘Finally’
While former President Donald Trump has torn into President Joe Biden for his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, some of his former officials are praising him. ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan…
While former President Donald Trump has torn into President Joe Biden for his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, some of his former officials are praising him.
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl spoke to former Trump officials who advised him on his withdrawal plans.
William Ruger, who was chosen by Trump to be U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan in September of 2020 told Karl, “The fact is this was the Trump-Biden withdrawal.”
Karl noted when the Pentagon announced the last troops left Afghanistan, Ruger tweeted, “Finally.”
Trump reportedly invited retired Col. Douglas MacGregor to the White House after seeing him on Fox News arguing America should leave Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
“I am not critical of President Biden’s decision. And if you listen to his speech, he said, ‘I ended the war.’ Bravo! Well done! Get out! This has been an enormous waste of time, money, resources and blood,” MacGregor said after Biden’s Tuesday speech.
He added, “So the president is 100 percent correct.”
In November of 2020, MacGregor was installed as a senior advisor to the defense secretary.
While reporting for his upcoming book, “Betrayal: The Final Chapter of the Trump Show,” Karl pointed out a statement issued by Trump accusing Biden of giving “enemies all around the world a great and lasting victory when he unexpectedly and inexplicably removed our great soldiers from Afghanistan before taking out our U.S. citizens and allies, along with abandoning many billions of dollars of highest-grade Military equipment.”
Karl argued Trump “had no plan to do anything differently.”
According to MacGregor, if the withdrawal had been done under Trump’s timeline it would have been less dangerous by avoiding the fighting season in Afghanistan.
“I’m glad President Biden made the decision. He is not responsible for the details of the withdrawal,” MacGregor said. “That is the job primarily of the secretary of defense – and General McKenzie and General Milley certainly should have been involved.”
In a video statement last month, Trump suggested the attack in Kabul that killed 13 service members “would not have happened if I were your president.”