The Alabama Republican Party held a rally Saturday night led by former President Donald Trump, who announced his “good relationship” with the Taliban and set aside the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak in the mass event.
After lashing out at President Joe Biden for what he described as allowing “weakness in the White House,” Trump boasted of his troubled relations with the Taliban, which he described as “big negotiators” and “tough.” fighters, “insisting that” with me in charge, the Taliban would never have dreamed of capturing our airfield or marching with our American weapons. “
It then seemed to suggest that perhaps more U.S. troops should be sent back to Afghanistan, where the management of the withdrawal of U.S. troops that Trump administered the Biden administration caused chaos and has seen outraged by bipartisanship.
“You know what, we have to go in and we should go in when it’s right and now maybe we should be forced to go in, … maybe we’ll be forced to go in and maybe we won’t be forced to, but yes we have to go in, and if “You’re not ready to go in, you won’t see these 45,000 people again. If they don’t think you’re ready to go in, you’ll never see them again.”
It was unclear what “45,000 people” Trump was referring to, but the Biden administration has said as many as 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over and U.S. troops will remain in the country. until all Americans are evacuated.
Elsewhere in his speech, Trump blasted Biden for not “stopping the virus” before the risk of the outbreak appeared at the rally on Saturday night, amid a halt to infections. ‘Alabama.
“I am shaking hands behind the scenes. I say, well, I don’t know, is that good or bad? Maybe you’ll read it in three or four days, maybe. Hopefully not, ”he said.
He briefly urged supporters to “take the vaccine” before returning it on foot, as members of the crowd reacted negatively. “She is OK. You have your freedoms. But I went on to get the vaccine. … But you have your freedoms, you have to keep it and you have to get your kids back to school. “
“Can you imagine if he were president and the virus would rise again? … To be really tougher than the Taliban, I have to be honest with you, “he said, rebuking Biden for” restoring the mandates of the mask and threatening new restrictions. “
Cullman, the city where the rally was held, declared a state of emergency Friday before the rally. Local officials and hospital managers said they needed additional resources to deal with the meeting, as current staff are so strained to care for coronavirus patients.
“We want to avoid the maximum number of things related to COVID, so that our hospital can use its resources to focus on the pandemic and its variants. We don’t want to put any additional pressure on them,” the lawyer said. of the city of Cullman, Luke Satterfield.
Vaccination rates in Alabama remain behind the rest of U.S. COVID-19 which has filled emergency beds throughout Alabama to such an extreme degree that the manager of one of the largest hospital chains in Alabama the state said this week that the number of beds available was less than the number of patients, that Alabama’s capacity had become “negative” in 29 beds.