The “Deal-Maker” Is an Empty Suit

Donald Trump frequently describes himself as a master negotiator and the best at making deals.

“I've made a lot of deals. I know deals better than anybody knows deals.” “Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals. Preferably big deals. That's how I get my kicks.”  

The 2020 Doha Agreement with Afghanistan tells an interesting story, and illustrates Trump’s deal making skills for all to see.  You can draw your own conclusions.

There were 13,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Afghanistan at the time.

In February 2020, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban committing to reduce U.S. forces and close five military bases within 135 days.

On November 17, 2020, two months before he left office, and against overwhelming advice from his Joint Chief’s of Staff, Intelligence Community, key congressional members, and close allies, Trump acted on his impulse.  He ordered the draw-down of U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the lowest number since 2001.

The pact set a timeline for a complete withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces to be completed by May 1, 2021. Absent further details, the final withdrawal steps would be left to the incoming president.

Incredibly enough, a 12-page National Security Council summary, documents that the Trump administration refused to brief the incoming Biden administration about last minute details of the troop withdrawal. They left no operational plans for the final withdrawal or evacuation of Afghan friendlies, and refused to hand over their communications links.  The National Security Council report noted that outgoing Trump administration officials largely declined to participate in standard interagency transition briefings regarding the final agreement.

Military analysts and subsequent White House reviews argued this left Biden with a severe strategic problem.

I say, if this is an example of Trump’s “artful” deal making, shouldn’t there be some anticipated resolution?  

Shouldn’t such a large-scale deal with lives on the line have an end result?

As it turned out, 2,500 troops were not enough to secure the country.  The troop level could not adequately support the Afghan National Army, nor defend against the surprise attacks from the same people Trump’s team negotiated with.

Biden was left with two choices.  Either honor the withdrawal timeline, or send thousands more American troops back into Afghanistan to push back the Taliban in an escalated war.

The final days of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 marked a chaotic and tragic conclusion to America’s longest war. What was intended to be an orderly draw-down collapsed into a frantic, two-week emergency evacuation. 13 U.S. servicemen were killed along with 180 Afghan civilians.

Trump, hailed his Doha Agreement as the mechanism that “ended America’s longest war”, and has since claimed to have ended 8 “wars” or major conflicts. He has occasionally alluded to a 9th and 10th in subsequent public statements.

All with little or no evidence.

“Sometimes I settle for less than I sought, but in most cases, I still end up with what I want.” (DJT: The Art of the Deal)

NUFF SED!!!