Trump, first lady in Iraq for surprise visit with troops
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet military personnel at the dining facility during an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1A7F8AD820
The president was joined at the air base by National Security Adviser John Bolton for meetings with political and military leaders. The president spent around three hours on the ground with First Lady Melania Trump vesting U.S. Troops, according to Reuters.
"President Trump and the First Lady traveled to Iraq late on Christmas night to visit with our troops and Senior Military leadership to thank them for their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas," White House Press Secretary Sarah. Sanders tweeted.
Trump's surprise visit to the region came a week after he declared ISIS had been “defeated” in Syria in a tweet and ordered all American diplomats and soldiers out of the country.
The U.S. first deployed troops to Syria in 2015 during the Obama administration as part of a partnership with Kurdish-led forces against ISIS. A year before the deployment, U.S. airstrikes also began in Syria.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. troops in an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1DDA2CDD00
Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis signed orders on Sunday to pull all American troops out of Syria in the coming weeks, a senior defense official told Fox News. Pentagon officials at the time refused to discuss specifics, including the timeline, citing operational security for the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.
The president told reporters traveling with him that he wants to get U.S. soldiers home from Syria and that Iraq can still be used as a base to stage attacks on Islamic State militants if needed, according to the Associated Press.
Trump added that if needed, the U.S. can attack IS "so fast and so hard" that they "won't know what the hell happened."
"I think a lot of people are going to come around to my way of thinking. It's time for us to start using our head," he told reporters.
Last month, Trump hinted he would soon visit troops deployed in a war zone.
President Donald Trump visits with members of the military at a dining hall at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
In an exclusive interview on "Fox News Sunday," Trump was asked by host Chris Wallace why he hadn't visited the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in the two years he's served as commander in chief.
"Well, I think you will see that happen," the president said after Wallace noted that Obama and former President George W. Bush had each visited soldiers in war zones. "There are things that are being planned. We don’t want to talk about it because of -- obviously because of security reasons and everything else."
The president previously drew criticism for his decision not to visit Arlington National Cemetery to mark Veterans Day, following his trip to Europe. He said later he "should have" visited the cemetery but was too busy with official business.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson, Gregg Re and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Took him long enough. Better late than never I guess...
Funny, past presidents except for Bill Clinton have been presented with leather flight jackets when visiting the troops. Clinton went out and bought his own beforehand. Trump is wearing a nomex one. Guess he did not rate a leather one.
Maybe he is wearing Nomex because he is afraid that he might burst into flames, so he wanted the fire retardant protection of Nomex.
Maybe he is not as much of an attention where as Obama...
Where is whore?
I swear, he only thinks about himself. Things are going bad for him here, so he decides to do this. Look what I have done...
I swear 100% of the good things (i.e. things so good even the Democrats and media can't deny that they're good) that Trump has done has been met with the ridiculous declaration that he's only doing it to distract everyone from something else. For a guy that you all think is both incompetent and insane, you sure give him a lot of credit for strategic deviousness.
One persons idea of good things, may not be another's. I do not think a massive tax cut was good, I do not think opening up wilderness and national parks to fracking is good, I do not think rolling back air/water protections is good...etc.
I do not give him credit for strategic deviousness. I give him credit for only looking out for himself.
Nice to see his bone spurs are on the mend.
getting those selfies with the draft dodging POS/POTUS
There are legitimate reasons for deferments. His "bone spurs" did not stop him from playing tennis though, so his were bs. Also, his sons used the same bs to get their deferments. I developed a bone spur 3 years after I enlisted. I had a great military surgeon and after two weeks of medical leave, I was back on the job. The only downside was that it left that foot a size shorter.
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Blah blah. The government deferred him. Are you anti disability now? Liberals are mostly hypocrites.
You miss this recent story? Trump dodged the same way other rich boys dodged. Daddy's help. You can also catch the original NYTimes article. Proof? Fits right in with all things Trump perfectly. Either way, he wussed out. And this story was told LONG before Trump ran for office, so the old stories are really telling.
Five times? LMFAO!!!!!!!
True, but they didn't volunteer either...to be expected from a family of worthless cowards.
Yet they can pick up a gun to kill animals in Africa.
Cowards indeed.
It just occurred to me what must have happened with Donald and his bone spurs. They weren't in his foot which is why he couldn't remember which one they were in. They were in both his hands and after the surgery it left him with 10 stunted digits...
So Obama and most of the Clinton clan are cowards, too? Good for you to admit it.
I never did like being US the world police till I thought about it another country being the world's police and instead we being one of the policed. Then I thought maybe it's better us than them.
PS: The O 401Ks are liking trump out of the country, he should travel more often.
LOL
What is the saying...Be careful what you wish for.