Trump Congratulates Erdogan on Reelection, Praises Strongman Leader As a ‘Friend’ Who ‘Loves His Country’
AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File
Former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday after he declared victory in Turkey’s presidential election.
Erdogan, who has been in power since 2002, won a run-off election over Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who received 47.9 percent of the vote to Erdogan’s 52.1 percent, in the now deeply divided country. Kilicdaroglu slammed the election as “the most unfair election in years” but did not pursue a challenge to the results.
Reuters called the result for Erdogan “a mandate to pursue increasingly authoritarian policies which have polarised Turkey and strengthened its position as a regional military power.” Following a failed coup attempt in 2016, Erdogan purged civil society of tens of thousands of critics, with arrests and the seizure of assets, and shut down media viewed as oppositional to his government.
Trump praised the outcome on his Truth Social platform, writing, “Congratulations to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his big and well-deserved victory in Turkey. I know him well, he is a friend, and have learned firsthand how much he loves his Country and the great people of Turkey, which he has lifted to a new level of prominence and respect!”
Russia’s Vladimir Putin also congratulated his “dear friend” Erdogan, saying, “The election victory was a natural result of your selfless work as the head of the Republic of Turkey, clear evidence of the support of the Turkish people for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and conduct an independent foreign policy.”
The Kremlin also said Putin told Erodgan, “We highly appreciate your personal contribution to the strengthening of friendly Russian-Turkish relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas.”
Erdogan faced a tough this challenge this year as his economic policies have led to a cost-of-living crisis in the country and saw the lira hit record lows last week.
President Joe Biden also congratulated Erdogan, although offering a much more muted statement. Biden said, “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges.”
