With Arizona visit looming, President Trump to address nation Monday night
Aug 20, 2017, 1:30 PM | Updated: Aug 21, 2017, 11:24 am
In this Aug. 15, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump points to members of the media as he answers questions in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump will address the nation at 6 p.m. local time Monday night, according to the White House.
The speech from Fort Myer in Arlington, Va., will “update on the path forward for America’s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia.”
The White House said Friday that Trump was “studying and considering his options” for a new approach to the regions.
In the past, Trump has expressed frustrations with the options at his disposal.
In early August, Trump raised the idea of firing Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, according to two officials with knowledge of the discussion per the Associated Press.
Earlier in the week, Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon stepped down.
Trump’s address to the nation comes a day before his visit to Arizona on Tuesday. He will be stopping by a Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma at 1 p.m.. followed by a rally in Phoenix at the Phoenix Convention Center at 7 p.m.
Last week, Arizona Sen. John McCain went ahead of Trump and released his own Afghanistan plan.
“… we’ve had no strategy at all as conditions on the ground have steadily worsened,” McCain said in a morning statement.
McCain’s amendment seeks to add more troops in Afghanistan, increase counterterrorism efforts and strengthen diplomatic ties in the region.
The war veteran has been consistently disapproving of President Donald Trump’s lack of a master plan for Afghanistan.
