At a joint press conference on September 18, Trump suddenly threw the topic to Afghanistan in the face of the British prime minister and global media. He not only called Biden’s withdrawal a disaster, but also rarely cried out to the ATA government to “take back the Bagram Air Force Base.”The three words out, the media burst, the scene atmosphere is momentaneously tense.
The withdrawal of troops is a disaster, Trump "turns over old accounts" and gets angry in public
The press conference on September 18 was a regular atmosphere, until Trump spoke, directly named the Afghan withdrawal plan and pulled the Biden government to the scene. For him, the hasty withdrawal of the army in 2021 was the shame of American history. The chaotic picture of the Kabul airport, the tragic scene of the bombing, the urgent withdrawal of military equipment, have become the memories of the American people that can not be erased. Trump expressed himself with the two words "disaster" without compassion.
The withdrawal lost not only soldiers and equipment, but more importantly symbolism.The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan for 20 years has been seen as a strategic hub, and the moment of withdrawal is equivalent to handing over the flag arch to others. Trump stressed that the United States even gave up the core Bagram Air Force Base, allowing Atta to easily take over. This scene was described by him as "losing dignity", which sounded not only a criticism, but more like an announcement to the world that the United States must never admit this failure.
The Bagram Air Force Base was used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and the U.S. military built it as the largest military hub in Central Asia. The runway was enough to take off large bombers and command facilities covered the entire region. In Trump's description, it was not an ordinary land, but the "eye" of U.S. strategy.
Trump's anger has personal political considerations. After returning to the White House in 2024, he has always had to prove his difference from Biden. In public memory, the picture of troop withdrawal is tightly tied to Biden. Trump's turning over old scores at the press conference is both a diplomatic signal and a political tool. Use the old sore of Afghanistan to prove Biden's mistakes once again and establish a "daring" personality for himself.
For the outside world, this is shocking, not only because of the content, but also because of the special occasion. In the face of the British prime minister and international media, he did not shy away, calling the withdrawal of troops the biggest defeat in history. This public humiliation of the predecessor is very rare, equal to bringing the internal struggle of the United States to the international stage. The audience is both surprised and familiar, because this is exactly the consistent style of Trump: lighting the subject in the most straightforward way.
Back on the day of the 2021 withdrawal, the Bagram base was quietly evacuated by U.S. troops at night, and the Afghan government did not even know the next day that the U.S. troops had left.This embarrassing operation has become an international joke.Trump has come out again at this moment, re-insisting on “losing dignity,” undoubtedly to remind Americans once again that this shouldn’t happen.
The media captured the subtle change in the atmosphere at the scene. The British prime minister seemed embarrassed, and reporters were low-headed, and it was clear that this "old account renewal" exceeded expectations. Trump has taken a four-year event out as the main dish for the world to rethink that chaotic withdrawal.
Bagram base as a focus, shouting Atta is behind the calculator
When Trump spoke about the second point, the atmosphere was pushed up again.He said the United States was trying to take back the Bagram base, and also shouted to the ATA government: If you want to get something from the United States, take the base in exchange. This naked statement is like a paper condition, turning diplomacy into a deal, without any cover-up.
The Bagram base is extremely sensitive on the map. It is located about 60 kilometers north of Kabul, surrounded by the military and transportation routes of Afghanistan. The fighter jets that take off from here can cover all of Central Asia in a matter of hours. Trump emphasized the point more directly: the base is about an hour’s flight from China’s nuclear test facility.This statement made it instantly clear to the outside world that his calculator is not only Afghanistan, but the base as the forefront of the game against China.
Atta’s government currently controls the base. After the US military withdrew in 2021, the Taliban quickly took over it as a symbol of showing victory. Trump now wants to “take it back,” equivalent to directly denying Atta’s sovereign control, which is almost a provocation in diplomatic speech. Could Atta accept such a scream? But Trump doesn’t care, and the goal is to release the signal: the United States should re-interfere in the Central Asian chessboard.
It is Trump's consistent businessman thinking to treat the base as a condition. He is used to simplifying complicated diplomatic relations into buying and selling logic. Want assistance? Okay, hand over the base. Want to communicate? Okay, let's give up the chips first. This practice is common in business negotiations, appears to be rough in state relations, but also conforms to his consistent style: straight forward, not obscene.
What attracts more attention to the outside world is that he pointed out the distance between the base and China. This is not the first time that an American politician has mentioned the strategic value of Central Asia's location. But Trump said it frankly: an hour’s flight distance is enough to justify it.This geo-calculation disclosure displays potential strategic goals in the face of the world, and one cannot ignore them.
After the press conference, the international media immediately described it as "shock". British media reports stressed that Trump publicly admitted for the first time that the United States intended to recapture the base, and also pulled China into the reason. This puts the issue that originally belonged to Afghanistan into the big framework of Sino-US competition at once.
Afghan domestic media responded quickly, saying that if the United States really wanted to intervene again, it would only plunge the country into greater turmoil. In the memory of ordinary people, the 20-year garrison of the United States has not brought real stability. Now that the voice of "wanting to take it back" is heard again, it is inevitable that people worry about returning to war.
For the U.S. domestic, this sparked debate. The Eagles thought it was necessary to resume the strategy, and the pigeons questioned it was an unrealistic fantasy. Trump obviously placed a bet on the "hard" position, hoping to show his determination and also for himself.
One hour’s flight away, Trump’s calculator said.
At the press conference on September 18, the most explosive word appeared at the third point.Trump said: "Bagram is too close to China's nuclear facility, only an hour's flight away."This statement calmed the whole moment, and the media then quoted crazyly in the headline, as if it had found the blast of the day.
The geographical location of Bagram is unique, it is located north of central Afghanistan, right at the intersection of Central and South Asia. The aircraft that take off from there can radiate Iran, Pakistan, the five countries of Central Asia, and even to the north close to the Russian border. Trump focused on China, showing his core logic is not Afghanistan itself, but to see Central Asia as an important window to observe and contain neighbors.
In the U.S. military map, Central Asia has always been a sensitive part. After the 2001 "war on terror", the U.S. military built Bagram as a front-end base, not only for combating the Taliban, but also for intelligence gathering tasks. After the withdrawal, the U.S. lost this base, equivalent to the eye line being digged off. Trump described the distance with "an hour of flight" as recognizing the value of this point for strategic observation far beyond the general base.
The international public opinion interpretation of the phrase is divided into two groups: one group believes that Trump merely emphasizes strategic importance in exaggerated language and does not represent immediate action; the other group believes that this is the wind of the future policy, and the United States may really consider re-entering the Central Asian stage.
After China-related issues were put into this speech, it immediately reminded the outside world of a larger framework. The US media commented that this is Trump's once again bringing regional topics into the perspective of big power competition. The Financial Times simply pointed out: This is a "strategic slip of the tongue" to indirectly put pressure on China, or it may be intentional. The media has agreed: this is not a complaint, but a signal.
The response from the Afghan side is more realistic. A Taliban government spokesman said on the same day that it would be "daydreaming" for the United States to return to the base. This statement shows that Atta is unwilling to let the United States get its hands on sovereignty again. Trump's propaganda seems more like a threat in Afghanistan, but it may intensify confrontation.
One hour’s flight away, the number became the key word for the press conference. It was like a lighthouse, lighting up the local issue of Afghanistan into the fire of the global game. Trump’s account, not to take back the base today, but to let the world know that his eyes are still in that sensitive area.
British media surprised China to reduce U.S. debt, the financial battlefield is raging
On the same day that Trump cried out, another financial news came from London. British media that China’s U.S. debt holdings fell to $730.7 billion in July, a new low since 2008. Reuters and the Financial Times both used “surprise” to describe the scale of the reduction, which left the global investment circle momentaneously tense.
U.S. Treasury data show that China cut holdings of $25.7 billion per month, while Japan and the UK are on the rise. Britain holds $900 billion, surpassing China and becoming the only U.S. debt major after Japan, according to British media analysts, which means that global money flows are re-washing, and the biggest buyer structure of U.S. debt has changed.
In the past few years, China has gradually adjusted its foreign exchange reserves, diversified risks, and increased the share of gold and other assets. This trend was evident in the summer of 2025. The media interpreted this as “optimizing the allocation of foreign exchange assets” not as a confrontation against a single country, but as a long-term strategy for financial security.
Behind the "surprise" of the British media, a concern has been revealed: if China continues to sell, will it let the cost of U.S. bond financing rise? But analysts pointed out that the U.S. government bond market is huge, and there are big buyers such as Japan, the UK and other countries, which are difficult to shake the whole situation in the short term.
The hard speech at Trump’s press conference, intertwined with the news of China’s reduction in U.S. debt at the same time, has the global public opinion put military and finance on the same table. The former is a naked strategic cry, the latter is a quiet capital flow. One makes the shock with language, one changes the pattern with money.
Market investors are looking in two directions: whether the U.S. will introduce a new policy to stop the trend, and whether Trump will push Afghanistan into national security discussions.
A strange picture appeared on the news page that afternoon: on the one hand, Trump's aggressive shouting, and on the other hand, the chart showed that China's position curve was declining. The comparison of the two pictures just constitutes the epitome of the current world pattern. One shouted, “the base is going back,” and one with “a little less bonds,” let the world hold its breath.