US President-elect Donald Trump called the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad a “hostile takeover” by Turkey, which had aligned itself with several of the opposition groups that have led the lightning offensive on Damascus.
Trump made the remarks — apparently in praise of Ankara — during a wide-ranging news conference Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His comments opened a window into his foreign and domestic policy weeks before he returns to the White House on January 20.
“I think Turkey is very smart…Turkey carried out a hostile takeover without losing many lives. I can say Assad was a butcher, what he did to the children,” Trump said, referring to the December 8 ouster of the longtime Syrian leader.
Al-Assad’s forced departure follows a surprise offensive across the country by rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long opposed al-Assad’s regime and supported the Syrian National Army (SNA) opposition group, based in northwest Syria.
Trump had previously spoken out on the conflict, saying it was “not our fight.”
During his first term, he had sought to withdraw about 900 U.S. troops based in Syria in advisory roles to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed opposition group, but returned to doing so due to pressure from its allies concerned about the resurgence of ISIL (ISIS).
Trump hesitated Monday when asked whether he would withdraw U.S. forces.
He said “no one knows” what the future holds for Syria, at war since 2011.
However, he added that he believed “Turkey would hold the key” to the nation.
Ankara has largely supported the opposition offensive, but the extent of its support for groups like HTS remains unclear. The SNA has continued to fight the Kurdish-majority SDF since the fall of al-Assad.
Trump on Gaza
Regarding the Middle East, Trump also said he “had a very good conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they discussed efforts to negotiate the release of captives held in Gaza before he took office.
Those talks have long stalled, with critics accusing Netanyahu of blocking progress under the current administration of US President Joe Biden.
“I warned that if these hostages are not returned home by this date, all hell is going to break loose,” Trump said, reiterating an earlier threat he made on social media regarding the release of Israeli captives to Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire.
“It was a wrap-up call more than anything else,” Trump added of his meeting with Netanyahu.
He did not say when he spoke with the prime minister, but Netanyahu’s office said the two spoke on Saturday.
Russia-Ukraine
Regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump did an about-face when asked about any conversations he may have had with Russian President Vladimir Putin since his November election victory.
He later said he planned to speak to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the war quickly, but statements from his allies have raised fears he will pressure Ukraine to cede its territory to Russia.
“We will talk to President Putin, as well as representatives of Zelensky and Ukraine. We have to stop this. It’s carnage,” Trump said.
“It’s just rubble,” Trump said of cities destroyed by fighting. “Just like when I demolish a building in Manhattan, which is actually worse, because we do it step by step.”
Ban on TikTok
Trump also weighed in on a looming federal ban on the China-based social media platform TikTok. The US Congress passed a law in 2023 that says the popular social media platform must sever 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 ongoing ban.
“We’re going to take a look at TikTok,” he said. “You know, I have a warm place in my heart for TikTok.”
Drone sightings
Domestically, Trump addressed a series of reported drone sightings in the eastern United States.
Federal law enforcement officials said most of the sightings involved crewed planes conducting scheduled flights and there did not appear to be a threat to national security.
Trump called for more transparency.
“The government knows what’s going on,” Trump said. “For some reason they don’t want to comment. And I think they would be better off saying what our military knows and what our president knows.”
He added, “I can’t imagine it’s the enemy,” without elaborating.
Controversial health choice
Trump also took time to defend his pick for health secretary, prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The political scion is meeting with lawmakers this week to build support for his nomination, which must be approved by the Senate.
Over the weekend, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, came out in favor of the polio vaccine after a recent report found that one of the aides Kennedy had filed a petition to revoke approval of 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 a lot less radical than you might think,” Trump said of Kennedy.
“I think he has a very open mind, otherwise I wouldn’t have put him there.”