Trump Gets Pilloried After Dismissing Kurds for Not Helping U.S. at Normandy: ‘Most Disgusting, Disgraceful Thing’ He’s Ever Said
President Donald Trump offered a bizarre defense for his abrupt decision to pull back US forces from northern Syria and expose our Kurdish allies to attack from the Turkish military, citing the Kurds absence from the Normandy invasion 75 years ago as a reason for abandoning them.
“The Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you understand, they’re fighting for their land,” Trump said at a White House event on Wednesday. “And as somebody wrote in a very, very powerful article today, they didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy, as an example, they mention names of different battles. But they’re there to help us with their land.”
The US allied with Kurdish militias to fight the terror caliphate, ISIS, not merely to “help them with their land.” Currently, nearly 10,000 ISIS fighters are being held prisoner by the Kurds, but if Turkish forces overrun the Kurds in northern Syria, there is a risk these ISIS fighters could escape.
Trump’s justification didn’t just omit key facts, it also reeked of desperation to critics, who quickly mocked the president’s logic and pointed out that the “powerful article” came from a far-right TownHall columnist well known for being a pro-Trump sycophant. Others pointed out the hypocrisy of Trump, who received five draft deferments to keep him out of the Vietnam war, citing the lack of past military service as a reason for being dismissive of their plight.
Trump appears to have gotten his “Kurds didn’t help us at Normandy” line from a Kurt Schlichter column. https://t.co/jAbsP9VCQt pic.twitter.com/6HknvoZ0gl
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) October 9, 2019
The Kurds didn’t help us in Normandy, didn’t help us in Vietna– wait, sorry, I’m thinking of Trump
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) October 9, 2019
I’m not an expert, but didn’t the Kurdish Barzani revolt of 1943 help the Allies, and thus the United States in Normandy and elsewhere, by preventing Iraq from tilting into Axis support and reducing the need for Allied forces on this potential third front? https://t.co/qgZWoFzjoW
— Doug Saunders (@DougSaunders) October 9, 2019
Mind boggling quote from @realDonaldTrump about the #Kurds: “They didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy.”
— Jon Sopel (@BBCJonSopel) October 9, 2019
I’m not an expert, but didn’t the Kurdish Barzani revolt of 1943 help the Allies, and thus the United States in Normandy and elsewhere, by preventing Iraq from tilting into Axis support and reducing the need for Allied forces on this potential third front? https://t.co/qgZWoFzjoW
— Doug Saunders (@DougSaunders) October 9, 2019
This is the most disgusting, disgraceful thing he has ever said. Because of Trump, the Kurds are getting killed as we speak. His message to all of our allies in Europe, Israel and Asia: you are expendable. Trump doesn’t give a shit about you. Look elsewhere for leadership. https://t.co/LXIZE2eFAv
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) October 9, 2019
Trump had nearly two days to come up with some plausible excuse for abandoning Kurds and he decides to throw them under the bus because they didn’t help at Normandy.
This is the man millions think will America great again. Amazing how low the bar is for so many.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) October 9, 2019
Hey, you know who else wasn’t on the beaches of Normandy? Anyone in the Trump family. https://t.co/1gGUNX3uAC
— ??♀️N??♀️ M??♀️RIE C?X (@anamariecox) October 9, 2019
What the actual fuckhttps://t.co/pe6P8979oQ
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) October 9, 2019
Was trying to think of what “the Kurds didn’t help us at Normandy” reminded me of and finally realized: pic.twitter.com/gcl5eT48On
— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) October 9, 2019
The Kurds, foot soldiers against ISIS, “didn’t help us with Normandy.”
The remaining liddle’ burnt crisp of Mark Meadows’ soul exits his body in search of the remnants of Trump’s so-called brain. pic.twitter.com/JvhU40nZHV
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) October 9, 2019
The Kurds wanted to fight at Normandy but they had bone spurs.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 9, 2019
Trump to the Kurds: Drop dead, because you didn’t help us with Normandy. Yes, really. This is real life. https://t.co/5rBmvgmgGp
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) October 9, 2019
Did I miss the Turkish landings at Normandy?
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) October 9, 2019
so if we’re basing our policy on who was with us at Normandy can we stop being nice to nazis?
— Eric Rauchway (@rauchway) October 9, 2019
What a sad and rather lame characterization of my point. But that’s liberal SOP.
My column – in which I side with the Kurds – observes that this is “alliance” is actually a shared enemy in Northern Syria. I provided examples (including a present one) of unshared wars. So…. https://t.co/LkU8T8rcVv
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 9, 2019
What a sad and rather lame characterization of my point. But that’s liberal SOP.
My column – in which I side with the Kurds – observes that this is “alliance” is actually a shared enemy in Northern Syria. I provided examples (including a present one) of unshared wars. So…. https://t.co/LkU8T8rcVv
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 9, 2019
Finally, the TownHall columnist that Trump cited couldn’t help but point out to his Twitter audience who read his latest piece.
And…
Trump defends Syria move: The Kurds ‘didn’t help us’ in Normandy https://t.co/vZntzPpboN
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 9, 2019
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