The Taliban Endorses President Trump

A spokesperson for the Taliban announced their endorsement of President Donald Trump for the U.S. presidency on October 10. Trump’s campaign swiftly rejected this endorsement, but the implications of the endorsement are still interesting. Trump, preferred by the Taliban due to his promises to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, facilitated an agreement with the Taliban establishing a timeline on withdrawal in exchange for breaking from al Qaeda and negotiating a power-sharing deal in Afghanistan.

Following the 9/11 attacks and the Taliban’s protection of Osama bin Laden, the U.S. launched a full-scale military operation in Afghanistan, resulting in the last 19 years of war. Consequently, the Taliban became significantly weakened and found itself in a position to negotiate with the Afghan government with US intervention. Two decades of war later, the U.S. and the Taliban have achieved their mutual goal of finalizing a plan for full removal of troops by May 2021.

When speaking about the endorsement in a phone interview with CBS, Taliban spokespeople had much to say about Trump. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, stated,“we believe that Trump is going to win the upcoming election because he has proved himself a politician who accomplished all the major promises he had made to American people, although he might have missed some small things, but did accomplish the bigger promises, so it is possible that the U.S. people who experienced deceptions in the past will once again trust Trump for his decisive actions.” Another unnamed spokesman was forthright in his endorsement, speaking for the group when saying,“We hope he will win the election and wind up U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.”

Trump’s spokesman, Tim Murtaugh, vehemently rejected this endorsement, stating that the president will work for American interests and safety, fighting terrorism worldwide. He additionally states that Trump is the far better choice for counterrorism, citing Joe Biden’s hesitancy on the Osama bin Laden strike and his disapproval of the assasination of Qasem Soleimani. Despite this, a Taliban endorsement raises questions on Trump’s counterrorism record and the deal the two parties negotiated. The Taliban member’s statement that, “Trump might be ridiculous for the rest of the world, but he is [sic] sane and wise man for the Taliban '' carries implications that the President and his campaign are working to combat.