Trump Praises Turkey for Overthrowing Assad and Erdogan’s Military Strength
In his first press conference since winning the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump addressed events in Syria, praising Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Politico, Trump acknowledged Turkey’s role in supporting rebels who helped overthrow the former Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
Trump said, “Turkey controls the rebels who ousted Assad. That’s another way of fighting,” adding that he had no issues with Turkey’s actions in the region. The former president went on to praise Erdogan, emphasizing his strong leadership and military capabilities.
“By the way, Turkey is a great power. Erdogan is someone I got along with very well, and he has built a very strong, powerful military,” Trump remarked. When asked about the 900 American troops currently stationed in Syria, Trump diverted the discussion to his previous decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the region, before returning to comment on Turkey’s influence.
Responding to concerns about the future in Syria, Trump stated, “No one knows what the final outcome in the region will be. No one knows who will end up ruling. But I believe Turkey, which is very smart, and Erdogan, who is a very smart guy and very tough, executed a hostile takeover with very few lives lost.”
