Former US President Donald Trump has been accused of double standards by a senior British politician, after he claimed that UK forces were “a little off the front line” during the Afghan war, despite his own history of avoiding military service.
Dame Emily Thornberry, the chair of the UK’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee, strongly condemned Trump’s comments, describing them as an “absolute insult” to the 457 British families who lost loved ones in the Afghanistan conflict. She argued that Trump, who received five draft deferments to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, was in no position to criticise the sacrifices made by British troops.
“How dare he say we weren’t on the front line. How dare he,” Thornberry said during an appearance on BBC’s Question Time. “We have always been there whenever the Americans have wanted us.”
The controversy over Trump’s military record first emerged nearly a decade ago, when it was revealed that he had received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War, including one for a reported bone spur in his heel. In a 2019 interview, Trump acknowledged that he was “never a fan” of the Vietnam War, which he described as “very far away” and “not like fighting against Nazi Germany or Hitler.”
Thornberry accused Trump of trying to “bully” the UK and NATO, arguing that the former president had “no anchor, no off button.” She expressed pride in Britain’s role in the Afghan conflict, declaring: “No Donald Trump, enough, no more of this, you are not getting Greenland, you are not introducing tariffs, you are not going to take military action, this is the line, do not cross it.”
The comments from the senior Labour politician come amid wider condemnation of Trump’s remarks, which have been seen as an insult to the sacrifices made by British forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
