President Donald Trump praised Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an Oval Office sitdown on Thursday, at one point joking that the authoritarian “knows about rigged elections better than anybody.”
“Now to the Oval Office, the president and the president of Turkey,” Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner said as she cut live to the Oval.
Trump was fuming about his 2020 election loss as Fox went live. “Unfairly, as it turns out. Rigged election, you know, he knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” Trump said to begin his remarks.
Erdogan has cracked down on civil society in Turkey and suppressed his political opposition in what critics see as dangerous democratic backsliding.
“But when I was in exile, we were still friends. That’s always a good way to find out, test a friendship. But he’s a highly respected man,” Trump continued, adding:
He’s respected very much in his country and all throughout Europe and throughout the world where they know him. Built a tremendous military, powerful military, uses a lot of our equipment. And it’s an honor to have him at the White House. We’re gonna have a lunch together. We’re going to have a discussion, big discussion.We do a lot of trade with Turkey, and we’re going to continue. We’re going to do some additional trade. They want to buy F-16s, F-35s, and some other things. And we’
re gonna talk to them about that. And we’re just gonna have, I think, a very interesting couple of hours. We’re gonna get a lot done. But I have great respect for this man, and we’ve had a very good relationship for a long time. If you remember, he let Pastor Brunson go, he freed Pastor Brunson.Pastor Brunson was put in jail for 35 years before I got there. This was a group that should have stopped it, and the President, after I called him, released him, which was a great thing for our Christian community. Our evangelical community, the evangelicals really, really wanted that. It was very important to them, so I always remember that. But he released him from 35 years in prison, and Pastor Brunson now is healthy, happy, and well. And we’re very happy about that. But it’s a great honor to have the President of Turkey with us. And how are you? Fine. Say a few words. Thank you. Great guy.
Watch the clip above via Fox News.