President Donald J. Trump on Saturday reportedly issued a sharp warning to Afghanistan’s Taliban government, threatening “bad things” if the United States is not allowed to retake control of Bagram Air Base, once the most important American military installation in the country.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” Trump declared in a Truth Social post, punctuating the message with his signature.
The president’s comments came just days after he confirmed that the United States was actively seeking to regain control of the base, which he described as a strategic priority not only for Afghanistan but also for America’s security posture against China.
Standing alongside the British prime minister at a joint press conference in London earlier this week, Trump said the Taliban should recognize the leverage the United States still holds. “We’re trying to get it back because the Taliban needs things from the United States,” he said, suggesting that the Afghan government could face serious consequences if it resists.
Trump emphasized the geographic significance of the base. “One of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said. “So a lot of things are happening.”
For Trump, Bagram has become a symbol of what he views as the failures of the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The sprawling facility, once the hub of American military operations during the two-decade war, was abandoned in the summer of 2021 as U.S. troops were hastily evacuated. That decision, Trump argues, represented a strategic blunder that handed the Taliban not only territory but also one of the most valuable military assets in the region.
He has repeatedly charged that President Biden “gave away” Bagram “for nothing,” leaving America weaker and emboldening its adversaries.
In his telling, reclaiming the base is not merely about Afghanistan but about asserting American power in a volatile region at a time when China’s ambitions are growing.
The Taliban, for its part, has given no public indication that it would consider relinquishing control of the site.
But Trump’s threat underscores the seriousness with which his administration views the matter, as well as the president’s willingness to use both diplomatic and economic pressure to reassert American influence abroad.
Bagram once housed tens of thousands of U.S. troops and served as the nerve center for operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban during America’s longest war. Its return to Taliban control after 2021 has been cited by critics as emblematic of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
Now, with Trump back in the White House, the question of Bagram’s fate has reemerged, this time framed less as a relic of the past than as a key piece of America’s future strategic posture. “A lot of things are happening,” Trump said, making clear that his administration is prepared to act.
[READ MORE: Trump Raises H-1B Visa Fees to $100,000 in Latest Move to Prioritize American Workers]
