Trump's Last Stand: An Off-The-Books Mission

How It Happened

Axios

News, History, Politics

4.8 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2021

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this bonus story for How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand, Axios political correspondent Jonathan Swan details a botched attempt, made during President Trump's final days in office, to rapidly withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Trump desperately wanted ending America's longest war to be part of his legacy. Instead, it will be Joe Biden's. nulltheless, in a recent interview with Swan, Trump took credit for Biden's announcement, insisting he set in motion a plan that could not be stopped. Swan provides listeners the full story of what Trump tried to do, how, and why it ultimately didn't happen. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss our second season coming later this year. Credits: This episode is produced by Amy Pedulla and Naomi Shavin. Dan Bobkoff is our executive producer. Mixing by Alex Sugiura. Theme music by Michael Hanf. Margaret Talev is Managing Editor of Politics. Sara Kehaulani Goo is Executive Editor. Additional writing, reporting and research by Zach Basu. Special thanks to Nuria Marquez Martinez, Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Jimmy Shelton, and to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei, and Roy Schwartz. Note: This episode has a brief moment of profanity

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone, it's Jonathan Swan here.
0:03.5	The Howard Happen team is working on a new season.
0:07.0	I think you'll like it.
0:08.4	That's coming to this feed later this year.
0:11.3	But heading into this Memorial Day weekend,
0:14.4	I'm back today with a crazy story.
0:17.5	It's about Donald Trump and the United States military.
0:20.9	It's a story I realized was too important not to share with you.
0:25.4	And it concerns those final fraught weeks
0:29.2	between President Trump losing the election
0:31.7	and him finally leaving office.
0:34.1	Now here's the show.
0:37.8	How do you think executive power works?
0:40.9	You might have in your mind deliberations over a long oak table,
0:46.5	methodical, carefully presented counsel from trusted advisors,
0:51.7	formal signatures from the commander in chief
0:54.7	and official statements to the press.
0:56.8	This process is especially important
0:59.8	when you're thinking about a decision as momentous
1:02.8	and consequential as pulling all American troops
1:05.8	out of the longest war in Afghanistan.
1:08.8	These are not theoretical conversations.
	...

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