Trump Threatens to ‘Totally Destroy and Obliterate’ Turkey’s Economy After Handing Gift to Erdogan
Saul Loeb/Getty Images
In a pair of tweets on Monday, President Donald Trump pushed back on criticism of his announcement declaring a withdrawal of U.S. military support from Kurds who have been battling ISIS, a decision that has been called “impulsive” by political ally Sen. Lindsey Graham — and earned bipartisan criticism as well.
In another set of tweets, Trump threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey.”
“I was elected on getting out of these ridiculous endless wars, where our great Military functions as a policing operation to the benefit of people who don’t even like the USA,” Trump wrote. “The endless and ridiculous wars are ENDING! We will be focused on the big picture, knowing we can always go back & BLAST!”
I was elected on getting out of these ridiculous endless wars, where our great Military functions as a policing operation to the benefit of people who don’t even like the USA. The two most unhappy countries at this move are Russia & China, because they love seeing us bogged…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
….down, watching over a quagmire, & spending big dollars to do so. When I took over, our Military was totally depleted. Now it is stronger than ever before. The endless and ridiculous wars are ENDING! We will be focused on the big picture, knowing we can always go back & BLAST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
Late Sunday night, after a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump announced he would be removing U.S. troops from Northern Syria to allow for a Turkish military operation in the region. Kurdish forces are deemed a terrorist group by Turkey, but have been instrumental in the U.S. fight against ISIS.
Even Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade called out Trump for his shock announcement that many say would result in the wiping out of Syrian Kurds.
Brett McGurk, Trump’s former special envoy on ISIS, slammed the decision on Twitter, writing that Trump’s statement “demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of anything happening on the ground.”
Critics have called the announcement a betrayal of trust to America’s allies in the Middle East, and prominent conservatives are also ripping Trump for this, including former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Senator Marco Rubio, Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
UPDATE 11:40 a.m.: Trump added a subsequent pair of tweets in which he threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey”:
….the captured ISIS fighters and families. The U.S. has done far more than anyone could have ever expected, including the capture of 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. It is time now for others in the region, some of great wealth, to protect their own territory. THE USA IS GREAT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
