Donald Trump has often proclaimed his admiration for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he says he has “a very good relationship.” He hasn’t a bad word to say for Erdogan, whom he has called “a strong man,” a “hell of a leader,” a “great leader, a “good friend.” He has also called him an “extraordinary leader” and a “tough cookie.” You know — the kind of guy Trump likes, just because he is tough. It’s the same reason that explains his admiration for Vladimir Putin. Apparently Trump does not know or care that two years ago, Erdogan predicted that there might be a war “between the Crescent and the Cross,” and he left no doubt as to which side he would be on. And Erdogan has also floated the idea of creating a pan-Islamic military force strong enough to destroy the Jewish state, again hinting that Turkey would take the leading role.
More on the U.S. and other NATO members courting Erdogan can be found here: “Turkey’s Erdogan is waging war on the West and Israel – NATO must not ignore it – opinion,” by David M. Weinberg, Jerusalem Post, July 4, 2026:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to host NATO leaders in Ankara next week. Unbelievably, American and European leaders are revving up their engines to coddle, cradle, and embrace this radical, antisemitic, viciously anti-Western and anti-Israeli dictator.
Washington just announced that it will ship 80 engines to Ankara, worth more than $700 million for Turkey’s homegrown fighter jet, and it is positively considering letting Turkey back into the F-35 jet program (from which it was expelled in 2019 over its purchases of Russian S-400 air defense systems).
It is madness to allow Erdogan to buy our top-of-the-line F-35 stealth fighter jet. The same reason Turkey was not allowed in 2019 to buy that plane was the fear that, with Turkey having bought the Russian S-400 air defense system, operating that Russian system alongside a Western stealth aircraft posed severe security risks; the Americans feared that the S-400 could collect and transmit sensitive F-35 data to Russia. For some reason, Trump no longer worries about that — perhaps he feels he can trust his “good friend,” that “extraordinary leader” President Erdogan. Fortunately, there is strong opposition in the Senate, from both Republicans and Democrats, and they are likely to stop that sale.
The EU is begging Turkey for a series of major economic and energy contracts, including central Turkish roles in overland energy networks that will bypass the Arabian [Persian] Gulf, Russia, and Israel….
Why should oil from the Gulf be sent overland, through Turkey, to Europe? If Iran can shut the Strait of Hormuz, can’t Erdogan shut that trans-Turkish pipeline to make the West bend to its will by, for example, severing military ties with Israel? There is an alternative route for oil from the Persian Gulf — pipelines from the Gulf across Saudi Arabia, up through Jordan, and then to Israel’s port of Haifa, where the oil could then be loaded onto ships for Europe.
His fiery language and aggressive actions (including expansion into Syria, Iraq, and across the eastern Mediterranean) drive toward a Turkish-led regional order with clearly expressed Ottoman and Islamist-jihadist aspirations….
Turkish troops are now in both Syria and Iraq, possibly permanently. They are there to hold the local Kurds in check militarily. Erdogan is determined to crush Kurds outside of Turkey so that they will have no chance to link up with separatist Kurdish forces in Anatolia. The spread of Turkish forces into two Arab states appeals to those Turkish irredentists who dream of renewing the Ottoman Empire, strong enough to challenge the Western powers.
The larger plan is to replace NATO with a Muslim version of that alliance would first consist of a triumvirate of Muslim states — Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan. And from that kernel, Erdogan hopes to expand that alliance through the adhesion of many more Muslim states. The Trump administration, oblivious to Erdogan’s plan, proposes to provide his military with the Stealth F-35.
Just this week, he repeated the wild claim that the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey was organized by “the genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology called Zionism.”
The failed coup attempt in 2016 that Turks opposed to Erdogan’s re-Islamizing policies mounted was a purely homegrown affair; Israel had nothing to do with it. But that hasn’t stopped Erdogan, who sees the Jews behind every misfortune, of accusing them of somehow infiltrating the Turkish army’s officer corps and fomenting the coup that Erdogan quickly crushed.
Billy says
Trump’s weakness is money because money buys influence, power, and control. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, etc. have bought influence, ISLAMIZATION!, in American universities for over 7 decades. Islam is the deceitful, daily practice of Islamic Law by Muslims, and Allah rewards his Muslim believers, Genocidal Terrorists of Allah, with a Garden Paradise when they kill and are killed in Jihad for Allah as war against Non-Muslims using MUSLIM MONEY and MUSLIM LIVES to make Islam, Islamic Law, supreme(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 111; 49:15, etc.). Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed JIHAD with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” See also Qur’an 2:191; 4:89, 91; 8:60; 9:5, 29, 111; 47:4; 48:29, etc.
Raja says
He is admiring a leader is very much for extermination of all non-Muslims. Recently his minister said that Israel is a cancer and must be dealt with accordingly, I guess, Erdog himself called Israel a cancer some years back if my memory serves me right. Nobody seems to be concerned about an absolutely evil religion that comes straight from Satan’s play book *if anyone cares to study the bible and sum it up properly*
Captain Quirk says
‘Why Is Trump Courting Erdogan?’ Because he’s a fool.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
It’s probably very appropriate that Troy was in what’s now Turkish territory: Ankara itself is a Trojan horse in NATO as we speak
gravenimage says
Very apt–but the “Trojan Horse” is now in the West.
John Smith says
Trump knows exactly what Erdogan is all about, you’re not a big buddy of Netanyahu and don’t know what Erdogan’s true ambitions are. Trump is trying to keep the peace at all costs, and as long as Erdogan is only attacking Israel verbally he goes along with it. It would be a completely different story if Erdogan ever used his military to attack Israel. Remember, it was only a month ago he was praising the change of regime in Iran, he did this because he was trying to strike a deal with them. Now he is beginning to realise that he may not be able to make a deal with them so he is changing tactics and is calling them out for what they really are, evil scum.
To most of us it sounds extremely foolish to supply Turkey with these stealth fighting jets, but Trump knows what he’s doing, he will have a trick up his sleeve, that you can be certain of.
Wellington says
I appreciate your optimism, John Smith. May you be correct because if you are then it is a major step forward for humanity.
You know, I catch myself sometimes despairing of Trump’s actions but then at other times I reflect upon the very real possibility that Trump is ahead of us all. Not sure—and I don’t like not being sure. But here is what I am sure of—if Trump is ahead of us all then this is a very, very great thing for our entire species, even for followers of the worst religion of all time. Hope you and those you hold most dearly are doing well in a still very unwell world.
John Smith says
Wellington, thank you for your kind thoughts, yes me and my most dearly are doing well, I also hope you and your family are also doing well.
You can become a billionaire these days even if you’re a half wit. If you can use what you have downstairs properly (your feet) and are able to kick a football with incredible skill, you can become a billionaire even if you have a very low intellect. But Trump became a billionaire by using what he has upstairs (his brain) he’s no half wit, he’s a highly intelligent man, and only he knows what’s going on in his head. There is one thing I’m certain of is, he knows exactly what islam is all about and what Erdogan’s true ambitions are, but he’s holding his cards close to his chest.
John Smith says
I would like to add that Messi may be a footballing genius, but Trump is most definitely an intellectual genius.
gravenimage says
John–with respect–it is possible–and even common–to be brilliant in some areas, and sadly naive in others.
Rarely says
I suspect that Trump envies the dictatorship powers of these leaders.
He is probably still irked that neither his crown nor his throne arrived in time for an Independence Day coronation.
Wellington says
A highly cynical view, Rarely, and I strongly think an incorrect one. Trump is not in the mold of dictators or absolute monarchs. No, he is in the mold of people like Andrew Jackson and Winston Churchill, i.e., tough SOBs who won’t take any crap off of anyone but who in the final analysis believe in democracy and freedom. Detractors of Trump don’t get this but then there is much they do not get.
Rarely says
It is much more difficult than you suggest to find some leader like Trump. His ego is such that I half expect him to rename the Statue of Liberty as the Donald J. Trump Statue of Liberty.
The top story of the day would be that “Trump did nothing outrageous today”. Wait for it — it may happen.
Africon says
Very strong observation. He respects Putin, Erdogan and others very much so.
But at least Putin protects the Christian people how much he can he does.
gravenimage says
Africon, Putin regularly appeases Islam, and is rubbing shoulders with Jihad terrorist Al Sharaa, who is mass slaughtering Christians in Syria. He is also allied with Iran. How is this protecting Christians?
Africon says
And what? Israel appeasement of Islam as well. They have relationships close Islamic allies.
And Israel simply surrendered the Temple Mount to Islam. This is our Christian property by the way. But if the Jewish had it it is better than the Muslims.
Trump is appeaser of Islam as well. This is how the world works. You need to be professional.
Syria, you do not know the basics. Asad was not a terrorist, he was under Putin’s protection and protected Christians. America supported Al Shara the terrorist and all the Islamist “moderates” like him.
Russia is a proud Christian nation, not like the cowardly West.
gravenimage says
Putin has claimed horrific Muslim “traditional values” as a needed bulwark against the free West–where is Israel saying anything like this?
Then, the Temple Mount–that is the *Jewish* temple–is no more Christan than it is Islamic. But certainly this would not be threatening as a Christian property.
And they idea that if you are not apepasing our deadly enimies that you are not “professional” is very odd.
And despite your claim, *no one* should be supporting the homicidal Jihad terrorist Al Sharaa.
How does claiming that Islamic savagary and Christian values are the same make Russia a proud Christian nation?
somehistory says
If one of us here had the opportunity to ask him “why,” would that be the first question? Or would it involve iran?
Yesterday, there was a news headline with the word “derecho” and warning “11 states.” A weather warning involving American States and their residents. Using Spanish.
A reader would need to know what the Spanish word means in English if English is the first language. If Spanish is unfamiliar,, then it would be necessary to look up a translation of the word.
A person would have to know the president personally, or to have been told personally in order to understand his actions. If one who has the opportunity to ask, that one should do so.
A huge wind….derecho….is blowing, like a “whirlwind’ in the whole world. What Mr. Trump is doing, affects us all. Not just a few.
GE says
Mr. Fitzgerald asks all the questions I would like answered.
Beans🫘 says
There is one personality that I listen to and take seriously, his name is Mark Levin. He has been warning about Erdogan for a while, and he does have trumps ear.
But my opinion is when Trump was at his bottom, Erdogan did not dump him under the bus like others. And Trump remembers this loyalty.
All that said, and I am the biggest Trump supporter on this website, this is a mistake and this is Trump letting his guard down. Turkey isn’t a an an enemy but we must keep them at an arms length, maybe two arms length.
gravenimage says
Erdogan is not pro-Trump–or any Infidel leader. He just wants American arms.