President Donald Trump has begun talking about visiting troops in a combat zone for the first time in his presidency amid criticism for his failure to visit service members in Afghanistan or Iraq, The Washington Post reported.
According to the Post, which cited unnamed current and former advisers, Trump declined to visit those regions because he didn't want to associate himself with wars he views as failures.
In meetings about a potential visit, he’s described the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan as “a total shame,” the Post reported. He also cited the long flights and potential security risks as reasons he’s avoided combat-zone visits, the Post reported.
In a Fox News interview aired Sunday, however, Trump indicated a trip was in the works.
“I think you will see that happen,” he said. “There are things that are being planned. We don’t want to talk about it because of security reasons and everything else.”
According to the Post, Trump has spoken privately about his fears over risks to his own life, the Post reported.
“He’s never been interested in going,” an unnamed former senior White House official told the Post.
Plans for a visit aren’t firm since the president has only started talking about it in recent weeks, the Post reported. A White House spokesman declined to comment.
The history of presidents visiting American troops on active deployments dates back decades, the Post noted.
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