Trump: Experts All Say US Troops Need to Stay in Afghanistan

by | Dec 2, 2018

Trump: Experts All Say US Troops Need to Stay in Afghanistan

by | Dec 2, 2018

With three US troops killed in Afghanistan earlier this week, President Trump was pressed on the matter of why, 17+ years in, the US military remains in the country. He told interviewers that “every expert that I have and speak to says if we don’t go there, they’re going to be fighting over here. And I’ve heard it over and over again.”

When Trump announced his escalation of the war last year, he said his first impulse was to pull out, but that the experts had assured him the war was still winnable. In recent months, officials have been very public about trying to convince Trump to stay in the war despite how poorly its going.

Trump’s claims that all the experts he’s hearing are telling him the same thing suggests his administration is limiting his access to dissenters. The war is plainly going disastrously, and it wouldn’t be hard to find people who would tell the president as much.

But the war continues, and President Trump says he intends to go to Afghanistan at some point in the unspecified future to meet with the troops. He didn’t say when, beyond that it would be “the right time” when he does go.

Reprinted from antiwar.com.

Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is the News Editor for Antiwar.com, your best source for antiwar news, viewpoints and activities. He has 10 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times and the Detroit Free Press.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

Podcasts

scotthortonshow logosq

coi banner sq2@0.5x

liberty weekly thumbnail

Don't Tread on Anyone Logo

313x0w (1)

313x0w (1)

313x0w (1)

Our Books

Recent Articles

Recent

The Psychology of Corruption

The Psychology of Corruption

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This quote, coined by the British Lord Acton during the late nineteenth century, is beloved by libertarians, and for good reason. In essence, it challenges the notion that any one person, regardless of...

read more
Trump White House Flips Script at FTC

Trump White House Flips Script at FTC

On August 13, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order repealing predecessor Joe Biden’s July 2021 executive order “Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” The Biden order called for greater enforcement of antitrust laws and other efforts to...

read more
I Helped Israel Propagandize American Christians

I Helped Israel Propagandize American Christians

Sun Tzu wrote, “All warfare is based on deception." You have heard many stories about the Israeli government deceiving and manipulating U.S. officials, steering our country towards funding and even fighting their wars. Let me tell you one more: Israel exploits the...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This