During a recent televised debate, Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s claim about sending a photo of his own house to a Taliban leader ignited a wave of memes on social media. Trump was discussing his negotiations with the Taliban prior to the 2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan while facing Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
Trump, who was President at the time, responded to Harris’s criticism of his deal with the Taliban by recounting a conversation with Abdul Ghani Baradar, a senior Taliban commander and Afghanistan’s first deputy prime minister. Trump claimed he told Baradar, “Don’t do it anymore, you’re going to have problems,” and then allegedly sent him a photo of his house as a warning. The former president stated that this tactic led to no US soldiers being killed for 18 months.
Trump: I sent Abdul a picture of his house.
Abdul watching the #Debate2024: pic.twitter.com/8D76wgouJN
— Public Enemies Podcast (@TheEnemiesPE3) September 11, 2024
abdul from the taliban watching the abc news debate #Debate2024 #Trump pic.twitter.com/yQ4khVT3dg
— tony (@IceCreamTony) September 11, 2024
Harris’s reaction was one of amusement, and social media erupted with memes, many imagining the awkwardness of Baradar receiving such a photo from the US President.
In their debate, Harris criticized Trump over his criminal cases and corporate favoritism while pledging to support small businesses. Recent polls show the race is tight, with Harris holding a slight edge over Trump. If elected, Harris would become the first female US president.
