'GREAT and very BRAVE': Trump shares 'love you' post for UK soldiers after backlash over Afghanistan war taunt
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'GREAT and very BRAVE': Trump shares 'love you' post for UK soldiers after backlash over Afghanistan war taunt")
US President Donald Trump Photograph: (AFP)
After drawing backlash for claiming NATO allies did little for the US in Afghanistan, Donald Trump praised UK soldiers in a Truth Social post, calling them brave and honouring their sacrifice. The U-turn came after criticism from Britain and other NATO leaders.
US President Donald Trump made a massive U-turn after alienating the NATO allies and claiming that they did not fully help the US troops in Afghanistan after 9/11. In what seemed to be extending an olive branch to the allies, Trump hailed the “great” and “brave” soldiers of the United Kingdom and said that the US loves them. This comes after several NATO leaders slammed Trump for his comments. It all started with Trump's Davos speech during World Economic Forum 2026, in which he said that the US had "never gotten anything" from NATO and “we've never asked for anything.” Further, during another interview he said that though NATO allies did send some troops to Afghanistan, “they stayed a little back.”
Trump's ‘Love You' post
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The UK Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” This comes even as the White House defended Trump's remark and slammed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “President Trump is absolutely right – the United States of America has done more for NATO than any other country in the alliance has done combined,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.
What Trump said?
In an interview aired on Thursday (Jan 22), Trump told Fox News, “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Referring to NATO allies. “And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he said, sparking outrage from Britain. Trump also alleged that NATO would not come to the aid of the US if asked to do so. Earlier in Davos, Trump said that the US had "never gotten anything" from NATO and “we've never asked for anything.” The statement was untrue as the US invoked NATO's Article 5 post 9/11 after which the NATO nations contributed troops and military equipment to the US-led war in Afghanistan. More than 150,000 British troops served in Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion, making it the largest contingent after the United States.
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Also Read: After Trump’s U-turn, NATO and Denmark agree alliance should increase its engagement in arctic
How UK reacted?
Responding to Trump’s remarks, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the remarks were “insulting ”. Paying tributes to 457 soldiers of armed services who lost their lives in Afghanistan, he added that if Trump had misspoken in such a way, he “would certainly apologise.” “There are many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries, and so I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly, appalling, and I'm not surprised they’ve caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured,” he added. In a statement, Starmer’s office said that Trump had been “wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops" during two decades of war, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called his remarks “flat-out nonsense."
