Pence Says Trump Would Have Kept US Troops in Afghanistan, Rejects Blame for Chaotic Withdrawal

President Donald Trump, (R), and Vice President Mike Pence wait on the rooftop of the Operational Building at NASA before the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 30, 2020. Saul Martinez/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump would have kept at least a couple thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan despite his 2020 peace agreement with the Taliban, according to former Vice President Mike Pence.

In February 2020, the Trump Administration reached a deal (pdf) with the Taliban to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan within 14 months, so long as the Taliban kept its commitment not to attack the United States or its allies.