Who Is ‘Abdul’? Trump’s Bizarre Debate Story About Taliban Negotiations Explained

 

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, and Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, debate for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Former President Donald Trump incorrectly said during Tuesday’s debate that someone named “Abdul” leads the Taliban while discussing his role in negotiating the end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan—reprising a story he frequently tells that seems to conflate the name of one of the terrorist organization’s negotiators with its leader.

Key Facts

Trump said he told “Abdul” to instruct his snipers to stop killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan, telling a disjointed story about how he sent “Abdul”—who Trump called “the head of the Taliban” and “is still the head of the Taliban”—a photo of his house, presumably as a threat.

The nominal head of the Taliban since 2016 has been Hibatullah Akhundzada.

It’s unclear who Trump was referring to, but he was likely referring to one of the Taliban’s negotiators with the U.S., Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Trump made the statements while discussing his role in the troubled U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021, widely viewed as a failure of the Biden administration after 13 soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing.

Trump frequently uses the withdrawal to attack both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, though critics have said Trump also bears responsibility since he negotiated the exit plan with the Taliban during his time in the White House.

Chief Critic

Harris defended Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan during the debate and accused Trump of having “negotiated one of the weakest deals you can imagine,” blasting him for agreeing to the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners from Afghan prisons.

Tangent

Trump forged an alliance with some of the families of the 13 service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing who are critical of the Biden administration. His visit to Arlington National Cemetery last month to commemorate the third anniversary of the attacks sparked controversy when his team took photos and videos in a restricted area, Section 60, where service members killed in recent wars are buried. Federal law prohibits photos and videos in Section 60 for political purposes. The Army, which operates the cemetery, accused a Trump aide of pushing a female staffer out of the way who tried to prevent his team from taking photos, a claim the Trump campaign denied, while accusing the staffer of having a mental breakdown and promising to release footage of the alleged incident (though his campaign has never done so). Harris, along with some veterans and Gold Star families, publicly criticized Trump, alleging he disrespected the gravesites. Other Gold Star family members, including some whose loved ones were killed in Abbey Gate, publicly defended Trump and criticized the Biden-Harris administration in the wake of the controversy.

Key Background

Trump and Harris debated—and met—for the first time Tuesday in a 90-minute debate hosted by ABC News. Pundits widely lauded Harris’ performance, praising her for putting Trump on the defensive with her frequent jabs over abortion, the crowd sizes at Trump’s rallies, his pandering to dictators and his legal woes. The candidates sparred over abortion, the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, and the economy, as Trump promoted his plan for tariffs and Harris detailed proposals she said are designed to boost the middle class. Harris’ campaign challenged Trump to a second debate almost immediately after the first one ended Tuesday, but Trump said Wednesday he’s not sure if he will participate.