Donald Trump has indicated he will strike a trade deal with the Taliban if he is re-elected as president in 2024.
The former president told a crowd in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday that he would do so to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and to monitor China.
The United States left the military installation on July 2, 2021, before American troops fully withdrew from the country weeks later on August 30.
But former President Trump criticized the decision to hand control of Bagram Airfield to Afghan forces at a campaign rally in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday.
The 77-year-old claimed the base was an hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles and said it was now occupied by them.
He told the crowd that he wanted to get Bagram airfield back as part of a trade deal with Afghanistan.
Donald Trump has suggested that if he is re-elected as president in 2024, he will strike a trade deal with the Taliban to regain control of Bagram airfield in Afghanistan and monitor China
The United States left the military installation on July 2, 2021, before American troops fully withdrew from the country weeks later on August 30
“We wanted to keep Bagram,” Trump told the crowd at the event. “Bagram is the largest base there is in the entire world.”
“The biggest runways, the most powerful, they can take concrete eight feet deep. ‘They can take anything and we’ve given up on it.’
He added that he didn’t want it for Afghanistan but to keep an eye on China.
“I wanted it because that’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles, and we gave up on it.”
“Why did we give it up? This thing cost billions of dollars many years ago. We didn’t need it for Afghanistan, but it was right next to where their missiles are made, China.”
“Now do you know who lives there? “China,” Trump claimed. “China occupies it. How stupid are these people? It is so sad.’
But he suggested he would get Bagram Airfield back if re-elected next year by negotiating a deal with Afghanistan, which has been ruled by Taliban warlords since President Biden completed his withdrawal from the country in August 2021.
Diplomacy with the extremist group seems unlikely. They were expelled from power by the US in 2001 for harboring 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.
“But we will get it back,” Trump said. “We’ll get it back, maybe we’ll get it back as part of a trade deal.”
“Give us back this damn airport.”
Bagram Airfield was then the largest US military base in Afghanistan before it was secretly evacuated in July 2021.
It was returned to the Afghan government before falling to Taliban rebels on August 15, 2021 following the surrender of the NATO-trained Afghan army.
Trump’s visit to Iowa was part of his fall effort to rally supporters and volunteers ahead of the state’s upcoming caucuses that will open the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
But former President Trump criticized the decision to hand control of Bagram Airfield to Afghan forces at a campaign rally in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday
The 77-year-old claimed the base was an hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles and said it was now occupied by them
It was the latest in a series of targeted regional stops aimed at reaching the large crowds the former president draws to urge attendees to pledge to vote for him and serve as county leader on Jan. 15 .
While Trump boasted that polls showed him far ahead of the other candidates, he urged those in attendance Saturday to be there on caucus day to “make sure we get a big victory” that would signal to other candidates that that they should get out.
“Could you please give me a good idea?” Trump asked the crowd to applaud. “It’s the least you can do.”
While Trump has a comfortable lead over his top rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s campaign has been more aggressive in Iowa than in any previous voting state.
And during his appearance on Saturday, he continued to attack both DeSantis and Haley, criticizing the Florida governor for his past opposition to federal ethanol regulations and for running against Trump.
According to Trump’s Secret Service, Trump has made regular stops in Iowa over the past eight weeks and appeared at eight events in front of a total of more than 16,000 spectators.
It’s part of a 2024 strategy that places greater emphasis on the organization than his 2016 campaign, when he came in second place.