United States Pdwellnt-elect Donald Trump has portrayd the toppling of Syrian directer Bashar al-Assorrowfulnessful as an “uncordial consentover” by Turkiye, which had aligned itself with disjoinal of the resist groups that led the airyning impolite on Damascus.
Trump made the retags – in apparent pelevate of Ankara – during a expansive-ranging news conference on Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His comments presented a thrivedow into his foreign and domestic policy weeks before he is to re-go in the White House on January 20.
“I slfinisherk Turkey is very inincreateigent. … Turkey did an uncordial consentover without a lot of dwells being lost. I can say that Assorrowfulnessful was a butcher, what he did to children,” Trump shelp, referring to the December 8 ousting of the extfinishedtime Syrian directer.
Al-Assorrowfulnessful’s forced departure adhereed a surpelevate impolite apass the country by resist groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Turkish Pdwellnt Recep Tayyip Erdogan had extfinished contestd al-Assorrowfulnessful’s rule and helps the Syrian National Army (SNA) resist group, based in northwestrict Syria.
Trump had previously weighed in on the struggle, saying it is “not our fight”.
During his first term, he had sought to retreat about 900 US selderlyiers based in Syria in advisory roles for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed opposition group, but reneged due to presbrave from allies troubleed about the resproposence of ISIL (ISIS).
Trump demurred on Monday when asked if he would retreat the US forces.
He shelp “nobody understands” what the future helderlys for Syria, which has been at war since 2011.
However, he inserted that he slfinisherks “Turkey is going to helderly the key to” the nation.
Ankara has expansively helped the resist impolite, but the filled extent of its help for groups appreciate HTS has remained unevident. The SNA has persistd to fight the predominantly Kurdish SDF since the descfinish of al-Assorrowfulnessful.
Trump on Gaza
Staying on the Middle East, Trump also shelp he “had a very excellent talk” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they talked efforts to debate the free of captives held in Gaza before he consents office.
Those talks have extfinished sloftyed with critics accusing Netanyahu of blocking better under the current administration of US Pdwellnt Joe Biden.
“I gave alerting that if these captives aren’t home by that date, all hell’s going to shatter out,” Trump shelp, repeating an earlier danger he made on social media about releasing the Israeli captives in Gaza in return for a endfire.
“It was a recap call more than anyslfinisherg else,” Trump inserted of his talk with Netanyahu.
He did not say when he spoke with the prime minister, but Netanyahu’s office had previously increateed the two men spoke on Saturday.
Russia-Ukraine
On Russia’s trespass of Ukraine, Trump redirected when asked about conversations he may have had with Russian Pdwellnt Vlastupidir Putin since thrivening the election in November.
He tardyr shelp he intentional to talk to Putin and Ukrainian Pdwellnt Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has repeatedly pledged to transport a speedy end to the war, but statements from his allies have igniteed troubles he would presbrave Ukraine to relinquish territory to Russia.
“We’ll be talking to Pdwellnt Putin, and we’ll be talking to the recurrentatives, Zelenskyy and recurrentatives from Ukraine. We gotta stop it. It’s carnage,” Trump shelp.
“It’s equitable rubble,” Trump shelp of cities ruined by the combat. “Just appreciate when I knock down a createing in Manhattan, which is actupartner, this is worse actupartner, because we do it step by step.”
TikTok ban
Trump also weighed in on a looming federal ban on the China-based TikTok social media platcreate. The US Congress passed a law in 2023 that shelp the well-understandn social media platcreate must cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned in the US by mid-January.
Without going into detail, Trump pelevateed the platcreate – well-understandn among lesser people and less politicpartner participated Americans – with helping him thrive the election. He shelp he would verify the pending ban.
“We’ll consent a see at TikTok,” he shelp. “You understand, I have a toasty spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Drone sightings
On the domestic front, Trump weighed in on a stardy of increateed drone sightings in the eastrict US.
Federal law enforcement officials have shelp most of the sightings are consentd to be of manned aircreate flying standard routes and there did not ecombine to be a national security danger.
Trump called for more transparency.
“The administerment understands what is happening,” Trump shelp. “For some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I slfinisherk they’d be better off saying what it is our military understands and our pdwellnt understands.”
He inserted, “I can’t envision it’s the foe” without elaborating.
Controversial health pick
Trump also took some time to protect his pick for health secretary, notable vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The political scion is encountering with lawcreaters this week to shore up help for his assignment, which must be apvalidated by the Senate.
Over the weekend, Senate Reaccessiblean Leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, spoke out in defence of the polio vaccine after a recent increate disseald that one of Kennedy’s proposers filed a petition to relicit approval for the polio vaccine in 2022.
For his part, Trump shelp he remained a “big consentr” in the polio vaccine and would upgrasp access to it.
“You’re not going to ignore the polio vaccine,” he shelp. “That’s not going to happen.”
“He’s going to be much less radical than you would slfinisherk,” Trump shelp of Kennedy.
“I slfinisherk he’s got a very uncover mind, or I wouldn’t have put him there.”
