Around this time four years ago, as Donald Trump watched in frustration as Joe Biden ended the war in Afghanistan — a goal the Republican had wanted to complete, but didn’t — the then-former president suggested it might be a good idea to send U.S. troops back into the country.
In a written statement, Trump said that if the Taliban didn’t return equipment left behind in Afghanistan, the United States should consider going back in “with unequivocal Military force.”
Oddly enough, he didn’t let this go. Around the same time, Trump headlined a rally and told attendees, in reference to Afghanistan, “You know what, we have to go in and we should go in when it’s right and we now may have to be forced to go in. … We may be forced to go in, and we may not be forced, but we may be forced to go in.” He kept this going well into 2022.
Years later, Trump is back in the White House, and he’s still talking about going back into Afghanistan. NBC News reported:
Trump said that the U.S. was ‘trying’ to get back Bagram Airbase, a former U.S. military base in Afghanistan. He did not provide details or what it would mean for U.S. troops, who left Afghanistan in 2021 during a widely criticized withdrawal.
Speaking to reporters at an event in England, Trump said of Bagram, “We’re trying to get it back, by the way. OK, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back, because they need things from us. We want that base back.”
He didn’t appear to be kidding.
Trump: Bagram, one of the biggest air bases, we gave to them for nothing. We are trying to get it back, that could be breaking news. They need things from us.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-09-18T18:55:57.993Z
The Taliban, for what it’s worth, made clear soon after that it’s not willing to return the base to American control, and it’s difficult to imagine the White House changing Taliban leaders’ minds.
Time will tell just how much time, energy, effort and resources the president is prepared to invest in this apparent priority, and whether he’ll invite a public backlash by “trying” to get back into Afghanistan.
But in the meantime, spare a thought for those voters who backed the Republican ticket last year because they saw Trump as the candidate of foreign policy restraint and isolationism.
Those assumptions were not entirely ridiculous. In June 2020, in remarks at the West Point graduation ceremony, the president declared, “We are restoring the fundamental principles that the job of the American soldier is not to rebuild foreign nations, but defend — and defend strongly — our nation from foreign enemies. We are ending the era of endless wars. In its place is a renewed, clear-eyed focus on defending America’s vital interests. It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands.” Five years later, however, Trump has launched deadly military strikes on civilian boats in international waters. And launched preemptive military strikes on targets in Iran. And initiated a bombing campaign in Yemen. And announced his desire to annex Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal and the Gaza Strip. And directed the Pentagon to target drug cartels in Mexico. And is now once again focusing on Afghanistan. If you voted for Trump because you expected restraint on foreign policy and the use of military force abroad, I have some awful news for you. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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