Ron Klain doubts U.S. will ever recognize Taliban government

What he's saying: "I don't think any time soon. I don't know if we will ever recognize their government," Klain replied.

• "What we know is that the Taliban says they're going to form a government," Klain continued. "We'll see what that looks like. We'll see what kind of credentials they present.
• "More importantly, we'll see what their conduct is. ... I think the question of recognizing a new government of Afghanistan is down the road here."

The big picture: Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted during remarks on Monday that the Biden administration had engaged with the Taliban in recent weeks to enable evacuation operations. 

• "Going forward, any engagement with a Taliban-led government in Kabul will be driven by one thing only: our vital national interests," he said.
• "If we can work with a new Afghan government in a way that helps secure those interests ... and in a way that brings greater stability to the country and region and protects the gains of the past two decades, we will do it. 

• "But we will not do it on the basis of trust or faith. Every step we take will be based not on what a Taliban-led government says, but what it does to live up to its commitments."

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with Blinken's comments.