President Donald Trump has mentioned the nation’s longest war on his Twitter feed only once since becoming commander in chief.
But he’s raised the topic frequently in the past.
Tonight, in a national address, Trump is expected to announce plans to increase the number of U.S. troops deployed to the country in an effort to reverse recent advances by the Taliban and other opposition forces. If so, that strategy would mark a significant change of heart for Trump, who — before becoming president — repeatedly called a reduction in American intervention there.
Here’s a recap of the dozens of times Trump talked about his ideas for Afghanistan before entering the Oval Office:
Calls for withdrawal
General criticism of the war
Criticism of President Barack Obama
Criticism of Afghan leaders
Call to honor returning vets
Since becoming president
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
