U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday evening that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was a “leading candidate” to join Iran in the war, “because he is not a big fan of Israel,” in his words.
Trump, who this month pledged that as long as he is president there will be no conflict between Israel and Turkey, added that he asked Erdoğan to stay out of the confrontation — and said he did so.
Trump answers questions from reporters at the White House
(Video: White House)
He made the remarks during a meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, in response to a question from a Turkish journalist about his expected visit to Ankara and his message to his “good friend” Erdoğan and the Turkish people.
“I like him, he is my friend and he stayed out of the war with Iran,” Trump said of Erdoğan. “You know, he was a leading candidate to go into the war with Iran, maybe even on Iran’s side, because he is not a big fan of Israel, as you know. I asked him to stay out of it, and he stayed out of it.”
Trump added that Erdoğan was not the only leader who refrained from joining the conflict at his request. “And you know who else was great? President Xi of China,” he said. “He could have gotten involved. He gets half his oil from that region. You know, I could understand why he might want to do that. And I asked him please to stay out of it — and he did. We did a good job.”
The American president continued praising Erdoğan: “He stayed out of it. Erdoğan is a great leader, a very strong man, with a very good military. And I asked him to stay out of it, and he did.”
He then added: “And so did President Xi. And frankly, so did Putin, if you really look at it. But you could say Vladimir has some other things to focus on. But they all stayed out of it, it was quite amazing. People were surprised.”
It is unclear what Trump is basing his comments on regarding the possibility that Turkey would join the war alongside Iran. During the conflict, several missiles were fired from Iran toward Turkey.
Trump and Rutte in the Oval Office
(Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
About two weeks ago, after another round of criticism from Erdoğan against Israel, Trump was asked about the possibility of a military confrontation between Jerusalem and Ankara. He responded by praising the Turkish president: “Look, he is a very good friend of mine, and we worked together very well. I like him very much. I’m not supposed to say that because the media immediately says, ‘Oh, he loves Erdoğan.’ But he is a great leader. A very strong leader. A very strong man.
“I haven’t heard anything at all about what you’re describing. If I did, I would call him. And I think I would make sure everything works out. I don’t think that will happen with Turkey. Not while I’m president. Because he respects me and I respect him. And beyond that, we have a good friendship. So we’ll see.”