President Trump is feeling the heat from both sides of the aisle after he defended his decision to withdraw support for the Kurds in Syria because "they didn't help us in the Second World War."
Trump made the comments during a press conference on Wednesday, as Turkey launched a military offensive against the Syrian Kurds, who have been one of America's most consistent allies in the fight against ISIS in the Middle East.
Trump stated:
"The Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you understand."
"They're fighting for their land and as someone 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…"
He continued:
"But they're there to help us with their land. And that's a different thing. And in addition that, we've spent tremendous amounts of money on helping the Kurds, in terms of ammunition, in terms of weapons, in terms of money, in terms of pay. With all of that being said, we like the Kurds."
The article Trump appears to be referring to is from the conservative website Townhall, although Trump's explanation seems to be quite a bit less coherent.
In the article, writer Kurt Schlichter argues that the Kurds didn't help us in Normandy or any number of historical battles in the past because it was outside their interests and territory. For instance, where were the Kurds during the American Civil War?
Schlichter claims the only reason they Kurds helped the U.S. in the fight against ISIS was because both parties shared a common enemy. Which is sort of how every military alliance works.
Maybe if someone in the last five generations of the Trump family served in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Iraq War...the President would have a better grasp of military alliances?
But using that same theory, since Trump feels that ISIS has been defeated—although even Senator Lindsey Graham called that a lie, defending the Kurds from Turkey isn't particularly in America's interests or territory.
The article states:
"The Kurds helped destroy ISIS, true. It's also true that the Kurds would have fought ISIS anyway, since the psycho caliphate was right next door."
It continues:
"Let's be honest–the Kurds didn't show up for us at Normandy or Inchon or Khe Sanh or Kandahar. The Syrian Kurds allied with us in their homeland because we shared a common interest in wiping out the head-lopping freak show that was ISIS…"
"This idea that some sort of obligation for America to defend another people can arise outside the treaty ratification process is as bizarre as it is unconstitutional. Now we're supposed to shed our blood because our elites feel we owe it to foreign strangers?"
And while the move has been slammed by Republicans and Democrats alike, Trump isn't backing down.
When asked if he believes future alliances could be impacted, Trump confidently replied:
"Alliances are very easy."
He said the same thing about trade wars.
Trump has continued to assert that he'll take certain measures against Turkey if they don't attack Syria in a "humane" way, although he's declined to elaborate on what those measures would be.
People couldn't believe the pettiness and absurdity of Trump's remarks.
If helping the U.S. in Normandy is a prerequisite for being an ally, then a lot of countries would be out of luck.
Hypocrisy at its finest.
The History Channel documentary Saddam Hussein & Nerve Gas, available here, gives some insight into what the Kurdish people have faced.
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Here's one of our favorite episodes from season one. Enjoy!
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