United States President-elect Donald Trump has described the toppling of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as an “unfriendly takeover” by Turkiye, which had aligned itself with several of the opposition groups that led the lightning offensive on Damascus.
Trump made the remarks – in apparent praise of Ankara – during a wide-ranging news conference on Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His comments offered a window into his foreign and domestic policy weeks before he is to re-enter the White House on January 20.
“I think Turkey is very smart… Turkey did an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost. I can say that Assad was a butcher, what he did to children,” Trump said, referring to the December 8 ousting of the longtime Syrian leader.
Al-Assad’s forced departure followed a surprise offensive across the country by rebel groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had long opposed al-Assad’s rule and supported the Syrian National Army (SNA) opposition group, based in northwestern Syria.
Trump had previously weighed in on the conflict, saying it is “not our fight”.
During his first term, he had sought to withdraw about 900 US soldiers based in Syria in advisory roles for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed opposition group, but reneged due to pressure from allies concerned about the resurgence of ISIL (ISIS).
Trump demurred on Monday when asked if he would withdraw the US forces.
He said that “nobody knows” what the future holds for Syria, which has been at war since 2011.
However, he added that he thinks “Turkey is going to hold the key to” the nation.
Ankara has broadly supported the opposition offensive but the full extent of its support for groups like HTS has remained unclear. The SNA has continued to fight the predominantly Kurdish SDF since the fall of al-Assad.
Trump on Gaza
Staying on the Middle East, Trump also said he “had a very good talk” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they discussed efforts to negotiate the release of captives held in Gaza before he takes office.
Those talks have long stalled, with critics accusing Netanyahu of blocking progress under the current administration of US President Joe Biden.
“I gave warning that if these hostages aren’t home by that date, all hell’s going to break out,” Trump said, repeating an earlier threat he made on social media about releasing the Israeli captives in Gaza in return for a ceasefire.
“It was a recap call more than anything else,” Trump added of his talk with Netanyahu.
He did not say when he spoke with the prime minister, but Netanyahu’s office said the two men spoke on Saturday.
Russia-Ukraine
On Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump deflected when asked about conversations he may have had with Russian President Vladimir Putin since winning the election in November.
He later said he planned to talk to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has repeatedly pledged to bring a swift end to the war, but statements from his allies have sparked concerns he would pressure Ukraine to relinquish territory to Russia.
“We’ll be talking to President Putin, and we’ll be talking to the representatives, Zelenskyy and representatives from Ukraine. We gotta stop it. It’s carnage,” Trump said.
“It’s just rubble,” Trump said of cities destroyed by the fighting. “Just like when I knock down a building in Manhattan, which is actually, this is worse actually, because we do it step by step.”
TikTok ban
Trump also weighed in on a looming federal ban on the China-based TikTok social media platform. The US Congress passed a law in 2023 that said the popular social media platform must cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned in the US by mid-January.
Without going into detail, Trump credited the platform – popular among young people and less politically engaged Americans – with helping him win the election. He said he would review the pending ban.
“We’ll take a look at TikTok,” he said. “You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Drone sightings
On the domestic front, Trump weighed in on a slate of reported drone sightings in the eastern US.
Federal law enforcement officials have said most of the sightings are believed to be of crewed aircraft flying regular routes and there did not appear to be a national security threat.
Trump called for more transparency.
“The government knows what is happening,” Trump said. “For some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I think they’d be better off saying what it is our military knows and our president knows.”
He added, “I can’t imagine it’s the enemy,” without elaborating.
Controversial health pick
Trump also took some time to defend his pick for health secretary, prominent vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The political scion is meeting with lawmakers this week to shore up support for his appointment, which must be approved by the Senate.
Over the weekend, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, spoke out in defence of the polio vaccine after a recent report disclosed that one of Kennedy’s advisers filed a petition to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in 2022.
Trump said he remained a “big believer” in the polio vaccine and would preserve access to it.
“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine,” he said. “That’s not going to happen.”
“He’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” Trump said of Kennedy.
“I think he’s got a very open mind, or I wouldn’t have put him there.”