Trump calls Gen. Milley an ‘idiot’ for leaving US military equipment behind in Afghanistan

President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized retired General Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over the decision to leave behind U.S. military equipment during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan – calling it a “historic embarrassment” and describing Milley as “an idiot” for supporting the move.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump recounted a disagreement with Milley, who had argued it was more cost-effective to abandon military assets rather than retrieve or destroy them during the withdrawal. Trump, who has repeatedly condemned the exit strategy from Afghanistan, said the decision reflected poor leadership and damaged American credibility.

“That’s when I knew he was an idiot,” Trump said. “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 shouldn’t have been there – but the way we got out, with great embarrassment and death.”

According to a 2022 report by the Department of Defense, the Islamic Emirate seized a significant portion of the more than $7 billion in military equipment left behind.

While U.S. forces removed or disabled some high-value items, a variety of vehicles, aircraft, and weapon systems remained in Afghanistan. The Pentagon noted that much of the equipment would likely become inoperable without regular maintenance from U.S. contractors.

The withdrawal, finalized under President Joe Biden, followed through on a 2020 agreement negotiated during Trump’s administration with the Islamic Emirate to end the decades-long conflict.

However, the rapid collapse of Afghan government forces at the time, and the Islamic Emirate’s swift return to power, triggered widespread criticism – particularly after a suicide bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 13 U.S. service members and over 150 Afghans during evacuation operations.

Earlier this year, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a comprehensive review of the withdrawal, citing the need for accountability and lessons learned.

Milley, who retired in 2023, has not responded publicly to Trump’s latest comments. However, during testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2024, Milley defended the decisions made during the withdrawal.

He stated that he and then-U.S. Central Command leader Gen. Kenneth McKenzie had both advised the Biden administration to maintain a small U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.

“The outcome in Afghanistan was the result of many decisions from many years of war,” Milley told lawmakers. “Like any complex phenomenon, there was no single causal factor that determined the outcome.”

Trump and Milley have had a strained relationship in recent years. Though Milley was appointed by Trump in 2019, tensions escalated following Milley’s public apology for appearing alongside Trump during a controversial photo-op outside the White House amid the 2020 George Floyd protests. Milley later said his presence “created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”

In the final weeks of Biden’s first term, the White House issued a preemptive pardon for Milley, a move aimed at shielding the retired general from potential legal action should Trump return to office. Milley’s security clearance was subsequently revoked by Secretary Hegseth in January.