President Trump on Thursday showered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with praise after the two sides announced a temporary cease-fire in northern Syria, with Turkey temporarily halting its military offensive.
The president declared the deal an “amazing outcome” even as many questions remain about the terms and Ankara’s commitment to a cease-fire. Trump repeatedly credited Erdoğan, hailing the strong-arm president as a “hell of a leader.”
“I just want to thank and congratulate President Erdoğan. He’s a friend of mine, and I’m glad we didn’t have a problem because, frankly, he’s a hell of a leader, and he’s a tough man,” Trump told reporters while traveling in Texas.
“He’s a strong man, and he did the right thing and I really appreciate it, and I will appreciate it in the future.”
Trump said he expects Erdoğan to visit the White House next month for a previously announced visit.
“What he did was very smart, and it was great for the people of Turkey,” Trump said. “And they’re lucky that it was him that was making the decision.”
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JUST IN: Trump praises Turkey's president as a "hell of a leader" after US announces ceasefire deal https://t.co/RGfyAVcgef pic.twitter.com/FWuOtHOxze
— The Hill (@thehill) October 17, 2019
Sen. @MittRomney: "The decision to abandon the Kurds violates one of our most sacred duties. It strikes at American honor. What we have done to the Kurds will stand as a bloodstain in the annals of American history." https://t.co/slCoiiVvSN pic.twitter.com/XNfXpMOiVo
— The Hill (@thehill) October 17, 2019
Trump slathers praise on Erdogan: "I just want to thank and congratulate President Erdogan. He's a friend of mine and I'm glad we didn't have a problem because frankly he is a hell of a leader and a tough man, a strong man." pic.twitter.com/WywjpS6S49
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 17, 2019
Let's be clear about what just happened. We betrayed the Kurds, scooted out of Northern Syria with pro-Turkish militias on our heels, and then had the audacity to negotiate away Kurdish-held lands and call it a "deal"?
— David French (@DavidAFrench) October 17, 2019
I guess our definition of “tough love” includes 300,000 displaced, our allies sprayed with bullets while their hands are bound behind their backs, and a Kurdish woman pulled out of her car and dragged by her hair until part of her scalp came off: https://t.co/Oo1A8nIwkA pic.twitter.com/ELTAIf0liA
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) October 17, 2019
Defeat was always an option. That's not a "deal." https://t.co/zY4Ar2MD8x
— David French (@DavidAFrench) October 17, 2019
So: 1) Kurds abandoned…again; 2) Turkey avoids sanctions; and 3) Russia & Iran get toehold they want.
— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) October 17, 2019
This guy belongs in the Hague, not the Oval Office.
"They have to be cleaned out." https://t.co/ec9NArB50V
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) October 17, 2019
Cleaned out? Like a clogged toilet?
Trump is now saying he stopped “virtually a world war.“
“The Kurds are now much more inclined to do what has to be done.”
“This is a situation where everybody is happy.“
This is just a stream of hot crazy.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 17, 2019
Ethnic cleansing, assisted and ratified by the president of the United States. https://t.co/vHreSyS4GG
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) October 17, 2019
A former Turkish ambassador to the United States contemptuously mocks the president of the United States.
This is what the world thinks of you, @realDonaldTrump. Because you’re an incompetent, deranged fool. https://t.co/MG4oFeTOn9
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) October 18, 2019
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