China, in his words · Between terms · № 86
Says the Afghanistan withdrawal surrendered Bagram air base to China
“surrendering Bagram air base to China, China has it. We were going to keep it. It costs billions and billions of dollars to build many years ago, one hour away from where China makes their nuclear weapons, and we gave it away.”
- Said
- , Rally in Selma, North Carolina
- Subject
- Bagram air base
- Threat
- Military threat
- Topic
- Foreign policy
- Era
- Between terms
What the record showed
The Taliban took over Bagram along with the rest of Afghanistan in 2021 and held a military parade at the base in August 2024, CBS News reported. Nuclear experts told CBS that China manufactures its nuclear weapons deeper inside the country and that the old Lop Nur test range is about 1,200 miles from Bagram. He repeated the claim through the 2024 campaign, saying in Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 17, 2024, that "China occupies it right now." In September 2025 he said the U.S. was "trying to get" the base back; the Taliban rejected any handover.