At a speech to loyalists Saturday night, former President Donald Trump said he “kinda liked that” when the head of the Taliban called him “Your Excellency.” He seemed to be referring to details of a phone call with Abdul Ghani Baradar, who served as the Taliban’s chief negotiator during a peace deal signed in 2020 that ultimately led to the group’s retaking of Afghanistan last year.
Trump’s king-making comment came during a rambling speech at Turning Point USA, a conservative conference in Tampa, Florida. Earlier in the presentation, Trump also repeated his disputed claim that the coronavirus originally came from a lab in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began. He also recounted an Air Force One flight over Islamic State-occupied territory near Iraq, saying that he became annoyed when national security aides informed him they’d have to turn off the lights to avoid being targeted for attack.
