Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Trump Caves Completely to Erdogan

October 17, 2019 at 10:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The cease-fire agreement reached with Turkey by Vice President Mike Pence amounts to a near-total victory for Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gains territory, pays little in penalties and appears to have outmaneuvered President Trump,” the New York Times reports.

“The best that can be said for the agreement is that it may stop the killing in the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria. But the cost for Kurds, longtime American allies in the fight against the Islamic State, is severe: Even Pentagon officials were mystified about where tens of thousands of displaced Kurds would go, as they moved south from the Turkey-Syria border as required by the deal — if they agree to go at all.”

“And the cost to American influence, while hard to quantify, could be frightfully high.”

Eli Lake: Trump’s capitulation to Erdogan is complete.

Trump Warns Erdogan Not to Be a ‘Tough Guy’

October 16, 2019 at 5:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Fox Business obtained a copy of a remarkable letter from President Trump’s letter to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning him not to slaughter thousands of people.

Writes Trump: “History will look upon you favorably if you get this done in the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen. Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!”

He ends the letter: “I will call you later.”

Erdogan Refuses to Meet Pence

October 16, 2019 at 7:58 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will refuse to meet with Vice President Mike Pence, who is due to travel to Turkey to argue for a ceasefire in the ongoing Syria conflict, NBC News reports.

Said Erdogan: “I’m not going to talk to them. They will be talking to their counterparts. When Trump comes here, I’ll be talking.”

Trump Told Allies Erdogan ‘Does Things the Right Way’

July 16, 2018 at 10:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Foreign policy analyst Ian Bremmer tells CBS News that backstage at the NATO meeting there were elements that were even more eyebrow-raising than reports have suggested.

Said Bremmer: “Trump was very frustrated; he wasn’t getting commitments from other leaders to spend more. Many of them said, ‘Well, we have to ask our parliaments. We have a process; we can’t just tell you we’re going to spend more, we have a legal process.’ Trump turns around to the Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, and says, ‘Except for Erdogan over here. He does things the right way,’ and then actually fist-bumps the Turkish president.”

“It was a startling gesture of support for the increasingly authoritarian Turkish leader, who recently won another term and is widely expected to continue consolidating his power.”

Erdogan Declares Victory In Effort to Secure Broad Powers

April 16, 2017 at 3:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Turkish voters narrowly passed a controversial referendum that will concentrate more power in the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a tight race marred by allegations of unfair campaigning and voter fraud,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Erdogan declared victory during phone calls to congratulate his allies in the ruling party and an allied nationalist party.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

November 24, 2014 at 8:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

“You cannot put women and men on an equal footing. It is against nature.”

— Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, quoted by the BBC, accusing feminists of rejecting motherhood.

Turkey President Claims Muslims Discovered America

November 16, 2014 at 5:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

“Muslims discovered the Americas, not Columbus — or at least that’s what the president of Turkey wants people to believe,” the New York Post reports.

Said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus. Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century. Columbus mentioned the existence of a mosque on a hill on the Cuban coast.”

“The Spanish-employed sailor did speak of a mosque in his personal diary, which was published in 1996, but the notion has been widely considered to be a misunderstanding and should instead be viewed as a metaphor for the shape of the landscape. The fact that no Islamic structures have been unearthed that pre-date Columbus also debunks Erdogan’s claims.”