Trump says he’s trying to get back major Afghanistan air base lost to Taliban

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is “trying to get” the United States to reestablish a presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years after the chaotic withdrawal handed the facility to the Taliban. He spoke during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he wrapped up a state visit to the United Kingdom and tied the idea to the need to counter China.

“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said of the base in an aside to a question about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He described the plan as “breaking news,” though he has previously floated the idea in past public remarks. There was no immediate White House or Pentagon confirmation of any planning or talks about returning to Bagram.

The remarks come as Trump has seized on the 2021 withdrawal under President Joe Biden as a defining moment of his opponent’s presidency. The 20-year war ended with the Afghan government’s collapse, a deadly bombing near Kabul’s airport, and a mass exodus of Afghans seeking a way out as U.S. forces departed. Trump has repeatedly framed the withdrawal as a mistake and has argued the United States should have kept Bagram and other bases.

The base, once one of the world’s largest, is described by Trump as a strategic asset: “one of the most powerful bases in the world in terms of runway strength and length,” capable of accommodating a wide range of aircraft. He suggested that proximity to China adds to its value, noting that Bagram is “an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.” He did not offer specifics on how a U.S. presence would be reestablished or funded.

It is unclear whether the United States has engaged in direct or indirect discussions with the Taliban about returning to the country. Trump implied that the Taliban might be inclined to permit a U.S. military footprint if it served mutual interests, saying, “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.” He added that a U.S. presence would be valuable for strategic reasons, including countering China.

The Taliban have offered mixed signals about any potential security cooperation with Washington. Zakir Jalaly, an official in the Taliban Foreign Ministry, dismissed the idea of a renewed U.S. military presence and emphasized that Afghanistan and the United States should interact on the basis of mutual respect and common interests. “The Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the door is open for further interaction,” Jalaly said on the social platform X.

The two sides have had limited contact since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. There have been hostage-related discussions and a recent agreement on a prisoner exchange as part of efforts to normalize ties, though Washington and Kabul do not maintain full diplomatic relations. Earlier this year, an American tourist abducted in Afghanistan was released by the Taliban after more than two years in captivity, and U.S. envoys have continued talks on issues such as detainee exchanges.

Officials at the U.S. Central Command in the Middle East and the Pentagon—whose offices did not respond directly to questions about reestablishing a presence at Bagram—have referred inquiries to the White House. The White House did not comment publicly on whether it or the Pentagon has begun planning to return to Bagram, a position many analysts say would involve complex negotiations with the Taliban, Afghanistan’s new security environment, and broader regional implications.

Trump’s remarks come as the Afghanistan episode remains a politically potent touchstone in U.S. domestic politics. Critics from across the aisle have framed the withdrawal as a strategic and humanitarian debacle, arguing it exposed gaps in American planning and diminished regional leverage. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to use the episode to critique Biden’s leadership and to argue for a more forceful U.S. posture abroad, including in the Asia-Pacific region as tensions with China intensify.

As of now, there is no confirmed plan or timeline for reestablishing a U.S. base at Bagram, and officials have not provided a clear roadmap for any possible return. The Taliban’s response—whether it would permit a long-term American presence or negotiate terms of limited access—remains uncertain. The future of Bagram, and what it might signal about U.S. strategy in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific, will depend on a range of diplomatic, security, and political developments that are still taking shape across Washington and Kabul.