Former President Donald Trump joins conservative television and radio personality Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo to discuss Biden’s first year: Afghanistan, China, COVID, the economy —it’s all on the table. True to form, the former President pulls no punches, dismantling the Biden administration point by point.
Trump on Biden’s first year in office, the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, and what he calls “the most embarrassing day in the history of this country.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump says. “Our country has been embarrassed and we’re no longer respected as a country. You take a look at other leaders looking at us and they’re saying ‘what’s going on?’…I think that the withdrawal…was such an embarrassment to our country there’s never been anything like it with dead soldiers and horribly wounded soldiers and hostages left behind and $85 billion dollars worth of equipment – the best equipment in the world – left behind…and i don’t think anyone’s seen anything like that. I think that was the most embarrassing day in the history of this country,” Trump added.
Trump on Bagram Airbase and Biden’s decision to evacuate military personnel before citizens.
“So we [planned on] taking the military out last as anybody would do. Nobody would take the military out first because we have a lot of people there, we have a lot of equipment there. We have some Afghans there that we want to protect….but the military comes out last. We didn’t lose one soldier in 18 months…the Taliban respected us. They obviously listened to me and respected me…they would have never done anything to me in terms of our withdrawal. We could have taken our time.”
Trump also blasted Biden on foreign policy missteps with China, Iran and others.
“All of the work [you did] in four years goes away in four months, really?” Pagliarulo asks.
“Nobody has seen anything like it. It was all self-inflicted…Iran was all set to make a deal. We would have made a deal with Iran in one week but now they’ve released the sanctions…China is now buying vast amounts of oil…they’re buying so much oil, Iran is becoming rich and wealthy and they don’t even want to meet with Americans anymore.”
Pagliarulo then turned to Biden’s botched energy strategy; a far cry from Trump’s energy-independent America.
“This [Biden] administration comes in and says we’re not going to be an oil exporter anymore, we’re going to shut down the Keystone XL pipeline, we’re going to beg OPEC, a cartel, to please release more oil…how does it change that quickly? Pagliarulo asks.
“We were energy independent one year ago…we didn’t need anybody. We had so much that the prices were at an all-time low,” Trump says. “The strategic reserve for four decades was empty or pretty close to empty and I filled it upright to the top…now they’re taking it out to try and have people get a little bit cheaper gas —it’s not meant for that. It’s meant for wars and real problems…We were energy independent and now we’re not energy independent.”
Pagliarulo pressed Trump on Biden’s vax mandates; 45 is not a fan, as it turns out.
“Talking about vaccines, about mandates, about Operation Warp Speed, what you did was amazing.… People are confused though, Mr. President. They think that you are for mandates. I know you not to be for mandates. Gimme your thoughts on the fact that this administration is making people lose their jobs, kicking them out of the military, kicking them out of hospitals if they are not vaccinated,” Pagliarulo says.
“I’m certainly for the vaccines…I think it’s one of the greatest achievements,” Trump says. “As far as the mandates are concerned…you can’t have the mandates. It’s one of the primary things hurting our country and that’s why we’re doing so bad economically.”
The conversation turned to illegal immigration —an important issue for President Trump and his constituents.
“What does the left gain – what do Democrats gain – by letting these people come here illegally bringing harm to our safety and security in this country? Pagliarulo asks.
“What do they gain? Only one thing: the ruination of our country. We had the strongest border in history and now we have the weakest border in our nation’s history by far…the wall was almost finished, they should have let the wall be finished,” Trump says.
And finally, will Trump make a run for the Oval in 2024?
“I think people are going to be very happy. We have to save our country.”