Nov 28, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Trump says U.S. has renewed peace talks with Taliban

Trump at a surprise visit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on Nov. 28, 2019. Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump says he has relaunched peace negotiations with the Taliban.

What he's saying: Trump said in a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Thursday that he believes the Taliban wants a ceasefire, per pool reports, and he wants to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan from 12-13,000 to 8,600.

The big picture: Trump faced significant skepticism from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton and several lawmakers about whether his last peace deal with the Taliban was strong enough for the U.S. to sign.

Flashback: Trump said peace talks with the Taliban were "dead" in September after the group claimed responsibility for a bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.

He called off a secret meeting with Taliban leaders at Camp David after the bombing.

Go deeper: Trump: I called off secret meeting with Taliban in U.S. over Kabul blast

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

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Trump says he intends to give RNC speech on White House lawn

President Trump speaking to reporters on South Lawn in July. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

President Trump told the New York Post on Thursday that he plans to deliver his Republican National Convention speech from the White House lawn, despite bipartisan criticism of the optics and legality of the location.

Why it matters: Previous presidents avoided blurring staged campaign-style events — like party conventions — with official business of governing on the White House premises, per Politico.

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