Ryan: ‘I’m Pleased’ With Trump’s Afghanistan Decision – ‘I Think I Heard a New Trump Strategy’

During a town hall on CNN on Monday, House Speaker Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) expressed support for President Trump’s Afghanistan strategy.

Ryan said, “I’m pleased with the decision. I’m actually pleased with the way he went about making this decision.”

He continued, “I think it’s high time we have a more comprehensive strategy.” Ryan praised the shift from a timetable strategy to a strategy based on conditions.

Ryan further stated, “[W]hat I heard tonight for the first time…I think I heard a new Trump strategy, or a doctrine so to speak. ‘Principled realism’ I think is how he described it.”

He concluded the discussion on Afghanistan by stating that the ultimate goal is to get Afghanistan’s government to reconcile with the Taliban, but the Taliban won’t do that if they don’t think the US is “committed to seeing this through, if they think that they don’t have a chance. That is what I think was important in the decision the president just made tonight.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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