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NYPD officer reveals what President Trump wrote in the official “logbook” at NYPD during 9/11 visit

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NEW YORK CITY, NY – While President Biden attended the September 11 ceremony at Ground Zero against the wishes of several family members of the fallen, Donald Trump chose to avoid the spotlight and made a surprise visit to New York’s first responders to thank them for their service and sacrifice.

As the country paused to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the attacks by terrorists that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center and targeted the Pentagon, the former president met with hometown heroes at a NYPD 17th Precinct and a neighboring fire station at Ladder Co. 2 on Saturday.

A New York native, Trump made brief comments about the attacks and the recent Afghanistan withdrawal.

After posing for some photographs while greeting first responders, the former president said:

“What an incredible job you do. I grew up with you, and you are New York’s finest.

You are incredible people. I know many of you.”

Trump, long known as a strong supporter of law enforcement, praised the Police Benevolent Association for its decision to break from a long precedent of not issuing presidential endorsements to back Trump in 2020:

“First time they’ve ever endorsed a candidate for president. And it’s a great honor.”

“Having that endorsement meant more to me than anything, so I really appreciate it.”

Trump did not attend the ceremony at Ground Zero, where President Biden joined former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama despite several family members of the victims saying he was not welcome.

President Biden has come under fire for his handling of the August withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The chaotic withdrawal left Americans and allied Afghans stranded as the Taliban re-established power.

The scene of Americans struggling to get into Kabul Airport and onto evacuation planes has been compared to the fall of Saigon at the end of Vietnam.

Many families and service members have said that allowing the Taliban to retake the country diminished the sacrifices made by the thousands of Americans who died fighting the 20-year war.

Trump took some time to criticize Biden’s role in the Afghanistan debacle, calling the plan incompetent:

“It was gross incompetence and I hate to talk about it on this day.”

Someone in the crowd asked the former president if he would consider a run for Mayor of New York City, and he responded referencing the increased violent crime plaguing the city:

“I would love that! I’d say, ‘Fellas good luck, go to town.’ It’s hurting our city very badly.”

When asked about running for a second term as president, Trump hinted:

“That’s a tough question. Actually, for me, it’s an easy question. I mean, I know what I’m going to do, but I’m not supposed to be talking about it yet from the standpoint of campaign finance laws, which, frankly, are ridiculous.”

“But I think you’re going to be happy.”

After posing for a group photograph, Trump paused to sign a precinct guest book. An NYPD officer later shared what he wrote:

“I love you all!”

As he left to cheers and one person shouting, “Thank you for keeping us safe,” Trump replied:

“I’ve been given so much support by the people who do what you do. We love the blue. I’ll say it loud. You know, you’re not supposed to say that. We love the blue.”

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Report: Biden rejected Trump plan to leave small counterterrorism force in place to assist Afghan military

August 22, 2021

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Three former Trump officials have spoken out against attempts by the Biden administration to place blame for the failed Afghanistan withdrawal on the former President, saying Trump’s plan to maintain an orderly withdrawal was cast aside by the new administration.

The three former Trump defense and intelligence officials told Breitbart News that the Biden administration had rejected their plan to keep a small reactionary and counterterrorism force inside Afghanistan to defend against a resurgence of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban.

According to the senior officials, a small force of about 800 U.S. troops would have been able to provide intelligence and logistical support to the Afghan military enabling them to prevent the massive and rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban, which is what is happening now.

One official said:

“That was the hope…to be able to do the drone mission and the counterterrorism support, and also advising specifically the Afghan Special Forces who were doing a lot of the (counterterrorism) efforts…And Biden just pulled them out as well.”

Another official said Trump adapted as situations changed:

“We were going to be leaving a small force behind regardless. When things started to go bad, he’s changed. I mean, he had a history of changing his mind when he realized it was going to go badly.”

A third senior official said that Trump wanted to get out of Afghanistan, but knew it could not be a complete withdrawal:

“He didn’t want to continue a forever war of nation-building in Afghanistan, but did he literally say, you know, have no one on the ground? No. I can’t get into specific details, but I think that is broadly consistent with what I was saying about his approach to issues.”

The official pointed to the decision by the Trump administration to leave 900 U.S. troops in Syria following his withdrawal of troops there as an example of what should have been done in Afghanistan.

In a separate conversation, the former Trump administration Pentagon Chief of Staff said leaving a small force behind was always part of Trump’s plan for Afghanistan’s withdrawal. Kash Patel said:

“Those conditions, specifically, were: A direct repudiation and rejection of Al-Qaeda by the Taliban; an agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government to negotiate an interim government that the U.S. would assist with; and a technical detail was we would leave a Special Forces unit in the region to combat any terrorist threats that came up during the process.”

Patel said leaving behind a small force would have given the Afghan military the confidence it needed to repel any Taliban resurgence. He continued that the Trump plans were provided to the in-coming Biden administration, but “they just basically threw it out the window and fast forward six, seven, eight months.”

One official said that then-Defense Secretary nominee Lloyd Austin refused to meet with then-Defense Secretary Christopher Miller:

“Austin refused to meet with Miller or even have a discussion with him regarding the transition or anything else. Hard to say we didn’t leave them a plan when they refused to even meet or discuss it.”

During an address to the nation last week, President Biden blamed Trump for empowering the Taliban and leaving them “in the strongest position militarily since 2001.”

Donald Trump quickly responded to the accusation by saying the Biden administration “ran out of Afghanistan instead of following the plan our Administration left for him”:

“What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America’s Embassy in Kabul. This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence.”

 

 

 

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