Says Kabul airport attack 'would not have happened' if he were president

Hours after a suicide bombing at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 160 Afghan civilians, Trump released a video statement offering condolences to the families of those killed while also asserting the attack "would not have happened if I were your president." The claim was an unverifiable counterfactual delivered the same evening as the deaths were confirmed. Commentators later characterized Trump's broader use of the Kabul attack and its anniversaries as a recurring political attack line against the Biden administration.

“This tragedy should never have taken place. It should never have happened, and it would not have happened if I were your president.” Quote verified against source