Former President Trump on Saturday called Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley a “f—ing idiot” during an event at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday while talking about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In video shared by Florida attorney Ron Filipkowski on Saturday, Trump could be seen addressing a crowd and speaking about the military planes that were left behind when the U.S. pulled forces out of Afghanistan. Trump claimed that Milley told him that leaving the planes behind was cheaper than moving them to another country.
“That’s when I realized he was a f—ing idiot,” Trump said, eliciting a wave of laughter from the crowd.
Trump had apparently suggested filling the aircrafts with “a half a tank of gas” and moving them to Pakistan or back to the U.S.
As Business Insider reported, Trump was speaking at an event for Turning Point Action, a conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk.
Shortly after the fall of Kabul in August, the Taliban seized billion of dollars in U.S. weapons, including Black Hawk helicopters and an A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft. The aircraft are virtually inoperable without the proper training, though they did provide ample opportunity for the Taliban to create propaganda.
Trump has routinely criticized Milley in the past, calling him a “dumbass” in September after it was reported that the general had called his Chinese counterpart in order to reassure him that Trump did not have plans to attack China.
During congressional testimony in September on the U.S. withdrawal, Milley acknowledged that he personally thought it would have been better to leave about 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan while seeking a peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban. However, Milley also said that military generals unanimously agreed to recommend that the U.S. stick to the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline for the evacuation.
The Hill has reached out the Joint Chiefs of Staff for comment on Trump’s remarks.