Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday revisited the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying he clashed with then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley over whether to abandon military hardware during the pull-out. Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that Milley argued it would be cheaper to leave the equipment, prompting Trump to call the general “an idiot.” A 2022 Pentagon assessment found the Taliban gained control of more than $7 billion in U.S. aircraft, vehicles and weapons after American forces departed. While most high-value assets were removed or disabled, the report noted remaining items could become inoperable without U.S. contractor maintenance. The comments come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth oversees a comprehensive review of the chaotic exit, which resulted in the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the deaths of 13 U.S. service members in a suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate. Milley, now retired, has not responded publicly to Trump’s latest remarks.