Trump insults 850 dead NATO troops, claims allies 'stayed off front lines' in Afghanistan

Trump told Fox News at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 23, 2025, that NATO allies sent troops to Afghanistan 'and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.' He questioned whether NATO would support America if needed, saying 'I'm not sure of that. I know that we would have been there, or we would be there, but will they be there?' The Afghanistan War was the only time NATO invoked Article 5, its mutual defense clause, treating the Sept. 11 attacks as an attack on all members.

NATO coalition forces suffered 3,590 military deaths in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021. The United States lost 2,456 service members. The United Kingdom lost 457 troops, the second-highest total. Canada lost 158 troops. France lost 90 troops. Germany lost 62 troops. Poland lost 44 troops. Denmark lost 44 troops, the highest per capita death rate among coalition forces. Over 850 non-U.S. NATO members died fighting alongside American forces after the alliance's first-ever Article 5 invocation.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump's remarks 'insulting and frankly appalling' on Jan. 24. He said 'If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologize.' UK Veterans Minister ACAlistair Carns, who served five tours in Afghanistan, called the claims 'utterly ridiculous' and said 'We shed blood, sweat and tears together. Not everybody came home.' PHPrince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, said the sacrifices 'deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.'

Poland's Prime Minister DTDonald Tusk recalled a 2011 ceremony honoring five fallen Polish soldiers in Afghanistan. He said 'The American officers who accompanied me then told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes. Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.' Danish Ambassador to the U.S. JMJesper Møller Sørensen wrote on X that 'Thousands of Danish troops served in Helmand on the front line. We lost more soldiers per capita than even the United States. That was solidarity.'

Canadian veteran NWNigel Williams told CBC News he felt 'rage and anger and disappointment' after hearing Trump's comments. He said 'Try to say that to a mother who buried a son, or a wife who buried her husband, or a husband who buried his wife. That's not going to go over very well.' Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said 'You cannot rewrite history. We're proud of our men and women in uniform and we know the sacrifice they have endured.'

DDDiane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson suffered catastrophic injuries when a British Land Rover hit a mine in Afghanistan in 2006, called Trump's comments 'the ultimate insult.' She told BBC News 'Call him out. Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag, because it's just beyond belief.' UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Trump's claims were 'flat-out nonsense' and that NATO troops' sacrifice 'deserves respect, not denigration.'

Trump posted on Truth Social on Jan. 24, 2025: '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 USA!). We love you all, and always will!' He didn't apologize. The White House initially doubled down through deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, saying U.S. contributions to NATO 'dwarf' those of other countries.

Trump's Afghanistan comments follow a pattern of insulting military service. In 2018 during a France trip, Trump called World War I American soldiers buried there 'losers' and U.S. Marines who died at Belleau Wood 'suckers' for getting killed, according to The Atlantic. Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly confirmed these comments in 2024. Trump received Vietnam War deferments for bone spurs but can't remember which foot. He called John McCain, a POW who was tortured for five years, a 'loser' for being captured. He called Gen. Jim Mattis 'the world's most overrated general' and Gen. John Kelly 'way over his head.'