The people of Afghanistan are "overwhelmingly supportive" of partnering with the United States, but the war against terrorism won't end in this lifetime, despite President Donald Trump's vow Monday that "in the end" the United States will win, Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Wednesday.
"This isn't like other wars we've been in," the Illinois Republican told Fox News' "Happening Now" program, noting that the situation in Afghanistan is different now than when the former Soviet Union invaded the country.
Trump's strategy is the "same strategy of what happened during the surge" in Iraq, but without the introduction, said Kinzinger.
"What made the difference in Iraq was at a time when everybody was saying leave and pull out, President Bush came forward and said not only are we not leaving, we're going to stay and double down," Kinzinger said. "It took the wind out of the sails out of al-Qaida and Iraq."
Trump though, is "very forcefully saying, 'we're not going to tell you when, where, we're not going to tell you how, but we're going to stay.'"
However, the American people must understand that the war against terrorism is one that will go on for a very long time, said Kinzinger.
"It is a generational fight that will last as long as I live," he told Fox News.
The United States still has troops in Germany and Japan following World War II, and Kinzinger said that when the U.S. is involved, "there always needs to be a stabilizing presence."
Kinzinger also commented on a New York Times article describing Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as being in a "cold war" with each other.
"I think it's extremely counterproductive," said Kinzinger. "The president had a great speech on Afghanistan and then he turns back to fighting the very people he's going to need to back him on his strategy. The House of Representatives passed repeal and replace, the Senate got really close. If they want to try again, he'll need the people he's repeatedly attacking."
Kinzinger continued that he wishes Trump would attack Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong un "as much as [he does] Republicans.
"This is a time for our party to lay off of the emotion, focus on our agenda and get it done," he said. "The president has done some really good things, especially when it comes to foreign policy, but [he has to] unify the party and ultimately unify the country as how we're going to get this big agenda done, which is not for us, not for re-election, it's for the American people.