President Trump dodges direct question on whether he authorized the Afghanistan bomb


President Trump dodged a direct question about whether he authorized the use of the so-called "mother of all bombs," or "MOAB," in Afghanistan on Thursday. "Uhh," he said in reply.
He continued: "Everybody knows exactly what happened and what I do is, I authorize my military. We have the greatest military in the world."
While the technology for the MOAB — properly named the Massive Ordnance Air Blast — has existed since 2003, neither former President George W. Bush nor former President Barack Obama opted to use it in combat. Read more about the history of the weapon here, and watch President Trump sidestep the question below. Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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