President Donald Trump marked a major turning point in America’s military involvement in the Middle East on Wednesday, celebrating the departure of the final U.S. troops from Iraq and declaring an end to a mission that spanned more than two decades of American history.
Speaking during a White House Hispanic Heritage event, Trump reflected on the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the years of fighting that followed. The president delivered a blunt assessment of the conflict, arguing that the United States had paid an enormous price for a military intervention that should never have happened.
“It was a quagmire. Many, many years it lasted, but soon that part of history will be over,” Trump said.
The president made clear that he believes the time has come for America to close this chapter.
“We’re getting the hell out of there,” Trump declared, describing Iraq as “a place where we probably shouldn’t have gone.”
