War zones still waiting for a visit from Trump [View all]
Source: Politico
Trump's absence more than a year into this presidency stands in contrast to his immediate predecessor.
By CONNOR O’BRIEN and WESLEY MORGAN 03/06/2018 08:20 PM EST
President Donald Trump wants a parade of tanks and warplanes, promises a huge defense buildup and rarely misses a chance to praise “our great military” and veterans — but he has yet to visit American troops fighting in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Trump's absence from the war zones more than a year into this presidency stands in contrast to his immediate predecessor: Former President Barack Obama made his first of four presidential trips to the front lines three months after taking office and he went to Afghanistan twice in 2010, including one visit just months after he announced a surge of forces against the Taliban. Meanwhile, former President George W. Bush went half a dozen times, including his surprise visit to troops in Baghdad on Thanksgiving Day in 2003, eight months after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Many former diplomats, Pentagon officials and retired military officers believe Trump too should visit the countries where American troops are in harm's way. They say it would give him an unvarnished, outside-the-Beltway perspective on the the stepped-up fight against the Islamic State and his own decision to dispatch additional troops to beat back a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan — plus it would boost morale.
“It’s still important, I think, to the troops that are out there to know the president supports them and is willing to come out and take some risks and see them face to face,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno, who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/06/trump-war-zones-afghanistan-iraq-390234
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