Trump Criticizes Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal: ‘We Don’t Run From Anybody’

President Trump on Friday delivered a pointed critique of the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during his address at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, characterizing the operation as an “embarrassment” that diminished America’s standing on the world stage.

“You remember that where they left all the military equipment behind? We didn’t. We wouldn’t have left anything,” Trump told the assembled military audience. “We were going to get out with dignity and strength, respect. We looked like we were running. We don’t run from anybody. That was a Biden embarrassment.”

The former president specifically questioned the decision to abandon military aircraft in Afghanistan, suggesting it would have been straightforward to remove them. “We don’t leave equipment behind. We don’t leave jets behind,” he said. “I said, why do you leave those jets behind, sir? I thought it was cheaper to leave it behind. You know, $150 million plane. All they had to do is put a little jet fuel in there and fly it to wherever they want to fly it.”

Trump’s remarks came during an event honoring special operations forces involved in the recent capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which he contrasted as an “extraordinary military operation” demonstrating American capabilities.

The Afghanistan withdrawal, completed in August 2021, marked the end of America’s longest war after nearly two decades of military presence in the country. The chaotic final evacuation saw the Taliban rapidly seize control of Afghanistan, culminating in a devastating suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.

While the withdrawal occurred during President Biden’s administration, its foundations were established during Trump’s presidency. In February 2020, the Trump administration negotiated an agreement with the Taliban that established a timeline for U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan. This agreement set May 1, 2021, as the deadline for complete withdrawal, though Biden later extended this to September.

The Biden administration has consistently maintained that they inherited the withdrawal agreement and faced a difficult choice between honoring it or potentially escalating the conflict by sending additional troops back into combat operations. Biden has stated that continuing the war was not in America’s national interest after two decades of military engagement.

Trump, however, has rejected this characterization, arguing that his agreement with the Taliban was “conditions-based” and that he would not have proceeded with the withdrawal had the Taliban failed to meet its commitments under the deal.

Military experts have noted that the rapid collapse of the Afghan government forces, despite years of U.S. training and equipment, contributed significantly to the chaotic nature of the final withdrawal. The Taliban’s swift advance caught many by surprise, including intelligence assessments that had predicted the Afghan government could hold out for months.

During his Fort Bragg address, Trump also touted his administration’s efforts to strengthen the military, saying, “America is the strongest military on the face of the earth. We rebuilt it. We really did. We rebuilt it in my first term.”

The Afghanistan withdrawal remains a contentious foreign policy issue, with critics citing the abandonment of military equipment and the chaotic evacuation as evidence of poor planning and execution. Defenders of the withdrawal point to the difficult circumstances and argue that ending America’s longest war was necessary despite the challenging final phase.

Fox News Digital reached out to former President Biden for comment but had not received a reply at the time of publication.