PRESIDENT TRUMP IS WRONG ABOUT TURKEY’S ERDOGAN - With a “friend” like Erdogan the U.S. doesn’t need enemies!
Friday, May 2, 2025
By: Joseph Puder
This week marked the end of President Trump’s “grace period” - 100 days in office.
Objectively measured, he has accomplished more in this time frame than his predecessor did during his years in office. Chief among his successes were domestic policy issues - primarily the closing of the southern border to illegal migrants which is vital to America’s national security.
However, the verdict regarding how he is conducting foreign policy is still uncertain. Trump has been trying to work out a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine and, while initially his voice carried some weight with Hamas, who felt compelled to negotiate the release of 33 Israeli hostages, his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has muddled affairs, mostly by pandering to his Qatari connections.
On consequential Middle Eastern issues, that being Iran’s nuclear program and the imperialist designs of Turkey’s dictator, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump gets a question mark - at best.
During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent White House visit with President Donald J. Trump, “Bibi” as he is often called, appeared flustered by Trump’s complimentary references to the Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump expressed his admiration for Erdogan, despite his having arrested his major political rival, Ekrem Imamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, who had been expected to emerge as the presidential candidate for the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP). Additionally, Trump seemingly congratulated Erdogan for taking over Syria through his Islamist proxies.
Iran’s Shiite Crescent is withering away, as is its Shiite proxies in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Syria (the Assad regime) and Yemen (Houthis) - all of whom hav been dealt severe blows. With a weakened Iran, the timing is ripe for engineering the downfall of the Ayatollah’s regime and giving the Iranian people the democratic and secular government they want, perhaps led by someone like the Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s former Shah.
Clearly, as we’ve seen in the wake of the Obama led JCPOA, Iran cannot be trusted to completely give up its nuclear program. The Ayatollah’s know Trump has just one term and so they can “play” along with Witkoff, who proposed allowing them to enrich uranium to the 3.67 level and then leave everything in place in order to “go nuclear” as soon as possible.
As worrisome as a nuclear-ready Iran may be, the threat from the megalomaniacal Erdogan is equally of concern. Erdogan is inciting Sunni-Muslim aggression against Israel and has adopted Hamas and other radical Palestinian Islamist groups who are part of the Muslim Brotherhood ideological camp, which Erdogan presumes to lead.
In a March 31, 2025, speech, Erdogan prayed for Hamas’ success and the destruction of Israel. (The Netanyahu government did well in creating a security zone around the Syrian slopes of the Hermon Mountain.)
With Ahmed al-Sharaa, founder and leader of the Islamist radical group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), (recognized by the U.S. as a terrorist organization), and the self-proclaimed leader of Syria, Erdogan is more than likely to arm HTS with the aim of attacking Israel.
While Iran’s air-force is antiquated, Erdogan’s Turkey has modern American F-16’s. And Erdogan, whom Trump calls a friend, could very well ask Trump for the latest F-35 supersonic and stealth fighter. With its vast standing army and brand-new American equipment, Erdogan’s Turkey increasingly poses an existential threat to Israel.
The Sunni-Arab states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have sought to bring stability in the region, including developing a relationship with the Jewish state. They oppose the Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) while Erdogan is hosting these terror groups and inciting them against Israel.
An Islamist, anti-Christian, and anti-western Erdogan has become increasingly hostile to NATO. Yet Trump has called him a “very smart guy,” and, has “nominated” him to deal with Syria. Trump praised his relationship with Erdogan and declared - in front of Netanyahu - that Syria now “belonged” to Erdogan.
It seems rather clear that Trump is not bothered by Israel’s concerns about Erdogan’s aggressive posture in the region, particularly in Syria, and that the Turkish president is now replacing the radical Shiite crescent with a Sunni one. Similarly, President Trump shows little sympathy for the Kurdish minorities in Syria. The butchery committed by Erdogan’s proxy, the Syrian National Army (SNA) in the Kurdish areas of northeastern Syria which resulted in the killing of scores of civilians - with Erdogan’s support - did not elicit a sharp condemnation from Trump.
There is no question about Trump’s commitment to Israel and his support for the Jewish people. At the same time, however, his moves in the Middle East might be detrimental to the Jewish state. His skewed view of Erdogan and, his giving Erdogan full support in Syria is bound to cause a clash with Israel. Trump & Washington need to be reminded that Turkey, under Erdogan, provided weapon shipments to Syria and facilitated the transit of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliated Islamist fighters to Syria.
Turkey has purchased the S-400 missile system from Russia in violation of NATO rules. Ankara is now planning to place these missiles in Syria and, if Turkish personnel were to retain operational control, it could increase the likelihood of direct confrontation with Israeli forces. Such a move would also undermine Israel’s operational flexibility, threaten Israel’s regional air superiority and complicate U.S.- Israeli military coordination.
By virtue of his Islamist (Muslim Brotherhood) ideology, Erdogan could never be a genuine friend of the U.S. or to Donald J. Trump. American interests in the Middle East conflict far greater with Erdogan’s Turkey than they compliment. Let’s hope President Trump comes to realize this imbalance sooner rather than later.