Republicans Are Furious Over Trump’s Sudden Syria Move
President Trump announced on Wednesday that ISIS had been defeated in Syria and that there was no longer any reason for American troops to be stationed there. Trump had spoken before about his desire to bring troops out of Syria, but the tweet announcing the decision came as a shock. Virtually no one was notified ahead of time, including Congress.
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) responded by calling it a “big win for ISIS.” Sen Ben Sasse (R-NE) called it “weak.” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) called it a “grave error.” The president had reportedly been cautioned against withdrawing troops from Syria by everyone from Defense Secretary James Mattis, to National Security Adviser John Bolton, to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. There seems to be no real plan regarding how to proceed. Trump decided he wanted the troops out, so he tweeted that he was removing them.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that even after Trump made the decision, the Pentagon and the State Department urged him to reconsider the move. Trump instead posted a bizarre video proclaiming victory. “Now we’ve won. It’s time to come back,” the president said. “They’re getting ready. You’re going to see them soon. These are great American heroes. These are great heroes of the world, because they’ve fought for us, but they’ve killed ISIS, who hurts the world. And we’re proud to have done it. And I’ll tell you, they’re up there looking down on us, and there is nobody happier or more proud of their families to put them in a position where they’ve done such good for so many people.”
After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
“Our boys, our young women, our men — they’re coming back, and they’re coming back now,” Trump continued with the same tone he might use if he was promoting a redesigned golf course. “We won, and that’s the way we want it, and that’s they way they want it.” (The “they” here are dead service members looking down from heaven.) A few hours later, Trump tweeted a few quotes from Fox News praising the move. “‘Trump gets no credit for what he’s done in the Middle East.’ @IngrahamAngle So true, thank you Laura!” wrote the president.
American troops have been present in Syria since 2015, combating ISIS and working to bring an end to the Syrian Civil War. The United States has allied with Kurdish forces to eradicate ISIS, as well as a coalition of Syrian groups opposing President Bashar al Assad, who has been receiving aid from Russia and Iran. Removing the 2,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Syria would leave the Kurds vulnerable and essentially give control of the region to Assad, Russia and Iran. Though ISIS’ presence in Syria has been dramatically diminished, they have not been “defeated,” and the withdrawal is a boost to their efforts to regain influence.
From a Kurdish rebel leader fighting ISIS in northern Syria. (Hajin was the last town under ISIS control in the region.): pic.twitter.com/68v431rPu7
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) December 20, 2018
Many have likened the move to President Obama’s 2011 decision to withdraw troops from Iraq. “Honestly, this makes what Obama did in Iraq… It’s replicating that, but in many ways it’s worse,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re in a situation in the Euphrates River Valley where we’re close to finishing clearing out [ISIS]. It’s a terrible thing for our nation. It’s a terrible thing for the allies we’ve been working with. It’s a terrible thing for the [Syrian Democratic Forces]. It’s hard to imagine that any president would wake up and make this kind of decision with this little communication and this little preparation.”
Trump was critical of Obama’s decision at the time. “Iraq in political turmoil one day after we leave—I told you so,” Trump tweeted seven years ago Thursday.
A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to the president Wednesday evening imploring him to rethink the decision. “If you decide to follow through with your decision to pull our troops out of Syria, any remnants of ISIS in Syria will surely renew and embolden their efforts in the region,” they wrote. “However, ISIS is not the only threat. The brutal dictatorship of Bashar al Assad continues to weigh heavily upon the Syrian people, and we fear that a withdrawal of our troops may embolden Bashar al Assad to take further actions to solidify his power.”
On Friday morning, Trump explained that the decision was made because of a belief that the United States gets “NOTHING” in return for their presence in Syria.
Getting out of Syria was no surprise. I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer. Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there work. Time to come home & rebuild. #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
….Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the U.S. leaving, despite what the Fake News says, because now they will have to fight ISIS and others, who they hate, without us. I am building by far the most powerful military in the world. ISIS hits us they are doomed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
But most believe the move plays into the hands of Russia, Iran and Assad. “It is not FAKE NEWS that Russia, Iran, and Assad are unhappy about our decision to withdraw from Syria,” tweeted Graham. “They are ECSTATIC!” The boon to Russia’s interests has also reignited speculation about Trump’s relationship with Putin and whether the president may in some way be compromised by the Kremlin. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is expected to become Speaker of the House next month, alleged the move was “personal or political objectives.” Soon after the decision was made, Russia praised it on Twitter.
The #US🇺🇸 decision to pull its troops from #Syria🇸🇾 creates good prospects for a political solution in that Arab country – #Zakharova
👉https://t.co/HmwlnBz44y pic.twitter.com/g0f5tqcSPm
— Russia in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) December 19, 2018
Putin, too, was pleased. “Donald’s right, and I agree with him,” the Russian leader said Friday, calling it the “right decision.”