Trump says he knew Milley was an 'idiot' after suggesting US leave military equipment in Afghanistan

President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that he clashed with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley over leaving U.S. military equipment in Afghanistan during a planned withdrawal.

Former President Joe Biden ended up overseeing the withdrawal in August of 2021, but it was planned in part by the first Trump administration in 2020. Republicans, including Trump, have been critical of Biden's handling of the withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, rather than the underlying concept of withdrawing under the right circumstances.

Trump said he knew Milley was an "idiot" after he suggested it would be cheaper to leave the equipment in Afghanistan, despite concerns that the Taliban could acquire it. The president has since pushed for the U.S. to retrieve the equipment.

"That's when I knew he was an idiot," Trump said. "Didn't take long to figure that one out. But they left all that equipment. But they left their dignity behind. It was the most embarrassing moment, in my opinion, in the history of our country. Not that we got out. We should not have been there, but that we got out the way we got out with great embarrassment and death." 

The Defense Department reported in 2022 that the Taliban retrieved nearly all $7 billion worth of military equipment that was not destroyed by U.S. troops during the withdrawal. The condition of the remaining equipment is not known, per Fox News. 

Milley, who Trump tapped for the post in 2019, has not commented on the latest criticism so far.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.