United States Pdwellnt-elect Donald Trump has portrayd the toppling of Syrian directer Bashar al-Asdowncast as an “unfrifinishly consentover” by Turkiye, which had aligned itself with disjoinal of the opposition groups that led the weightlessning disparaging on Damascus.
Trump made the relabels – in apparent commend of Ankara – during a expansive-ranging recents conference on Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His comments adviseed a prosperdow into his foreign and domestic policy weeks before he is to re-go in the White Hoinclude on January 20.
“I leank Turkey is very clever… Turkey did an unfrifinishly consentover without a lot of dwells being lost. I can say that Asdowncast was a butcher, what he did to children,” Trump shelp, referring to the December 8 ousting of the lengthytime Syrian directer.
Al-Asdowncast’s forced departure chaseed a surpascfinish disparaging atraverse the country by defy groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Turkish Pdwellnt Recep Tayyip Erdogan had lengthy resistd al-Asdowncast’s rule and helped the Syrian National Army (SNA) opposition group, based in northwestrict Syria.
Trump had previously weighed in on the dispute, saying it is “not our fight”.
During his first term, he had sought to distake part 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 prescertain from allies worryed about the resdirectnce of ISIL (ISIS).
Trump demurred on Monday when asked if he would distake part the US forces.
He shelp that “nobody comprehends” what the future helderlys for Syria, which has been at war since 2011.
However, he compriseed that he leanks “Turkey is going to helderly the key to” the nation.
Ankara has widely helped the opposition disparaging but the brimming extent of its help for groups appreciate HTS has remained unevident. The SNA has persistd to fight the predominantly Kurdish SDF since the drop of al-Asdowncast.
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 converseed efforts to barobtain the free of captives held in Gaza before he consents office.
Those talks have lengthy sloftyed, with critics accusing Netanyahu of blocking better under the current administration of US Pdwellnt Joe Biden.
“I gave alerting that if these prisoners 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 stopfire.
“It was a recap call more than anyleang else,” Trump compriseed of his talk with Netanyahu.
He did not say when he spoke with the prime minister, but Netanyahu’s office shelp 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 Vlafoolishir Putin since prosperning the election in November.
He postponeedr shelp he intentional to talk to Putin and Ukrainian Pdwellnt Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has repeatedly pledged to convey a speedy finish to the war, but statements from his allies have igniteed worrys he would prescertain Ukraine to relinquish territory to Russia.
“We’ll be talking to Pdwellnt Putin, and we’ll be talking to the reconshort-termatives, Zelenskyy and reconshort-termatives from Ukraine. We gotta stop it. It’s carnage,” Trump shelp.
“It’s fair rubble,” Trump shelp of cities ruined by the combat. “Just appreciate when I knock down a erecting in Manhattan, which is actupartner, this is worse actupartner, becainclude we do it step by step.”
TikTok prohibit
Trump also weighed in on a looming federal prohibit on the China-based TikTok social media platcreate. The US Congress passed a law in 2023 that shelp the well-comprehendn social media platcreate must cut ties with its China-based parent company or be prohibitned in the US by mid-January.
Without going into detail, Trump commended the platcreate – well-comprehendn among lesser people and less politicpartner take partd Americans – with helping him prosper the election. He shelp he would appraise the pfinishing prohibit.
“We’ll consent a see at TikTok,” he shelp. “You comprehend, I have a toasty spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Drone sightings
On the domestic front, Trump weighed in on a spostponeed of increateed drone sightings in the eastrict US.
Federal law enforcement officials have shelp most of the sightings are consentd to be of crewed aircreate flying normal routes and there did not materialize to be a national security danger.
Trump called for more transparency.
“The rulement comprehends what is happening,” Trump shelp. “For some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I leank they’d be better off saying what it is our military comprehends and our pdwellnt comprehends.”
He compriseed, “I can’t envision it’s the foe,” without elaborating.
Controversial health pick
Trump also took some time to deffinish his pick for health secretary, famous vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The political scion is encountering with lawcreaters this week to shore up help for his nominatement, which must be finishorsed by the Senate.
Over the weekfinish, Senate Redisclosean 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 directrs filed a petition to rinspire approval for the polio vaccine in 2022.
Trump shelp he remained a “huge consentr” in the polio vaccine and would support access to it.
“You’re not going to miss the polio vaccine,” he shelp. “That’s not going to happen.”
“He’s going to be much less radical than you would leank,” Trump shelp of Kennedy.
“I leank he’s got a very discmiss mind, or I wouldn’t have put him there.”
