WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump late Saturday complained that “the fake news media” failed to call him “the most popular hero” for pulling out American troops from Syria.
Taking a jibe at the media once again, something he does quite often, he said had it been anyone apart from “your favorite President, Donald J. Trump [who] announced that, after decimating [Daesh] in Syria, we were going to bring our troops back home (happy & healthy), that person would be the most popular hero in America”.
He added: “With me, hit hard instead by the Fake News Media. Crazy!”
Last Wednesday, he had declared that Daesh was “beaten” in Syria and announced a stunning order to pull American ground forces from the war-ravaged nation.
The momentous decision to withdraw, which runs counter to long-established US policy for Syria and the region, had blindsided lawmakers, the Pentagon, and international allies alike.
“We’ve won against [Daesh],” Trump said in a short video posted on Twitter. “We’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land. And now it’s time for our troops to come back home.”
Later in the day, the US president said that getting out of Syria was no surprise and he has been campaigning for it for years.
