In remarks that sparked outrage and left some critics at a loss for words, President Donald Trump on Wednesday attempted to justify his decision to abandon Kurdish forces in Syria by criticizing Kurds for not assisting the United States in World War II.
“As somebody wrote in a very powerful article today, they didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy, as an example,” Trump said during a signing ceremony for unrelated executive orders. “They’re there to help us with their land, and that’s a different thing.”
As The Daily Beast’s Will Sommer pointed out, Trump’s remarks appear to have been inspired by a Tuesday article written by right-wing columnist Kurt Schlichter.
https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1182037763648036867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1182037763648036867&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2019%2F10%2F10%2Fdisgusting-disgraceful-fury-trump-suggests-ditching-kurds-justified-because-they
British historian Akil N. Awan was quick to point out on Twitter that Kurds “DID fight on the Allied side in WW2.”
“They helped break the siege following the 1941 pro-Nazi coup d’état in Iraq and were part of the (pro-Allied) Iraq Levies,” said Awan. “By 1942 Kurds made up 25% of the force. By 1943, 10 of the 44 companies comprising the Iraq Levies were Kurdish.”
In addition to condemning the president’s historical ignorance, critics also slammed Trump’s comments as unspeakably cruel:
https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/1182039020219404288
ok…. All else aside, this logic makes no sense, and doesn’t dictate anything in American foreign policy. The Viet Minh helped us a lot in World War II, and wonder how that alliance turned out in the years directly after. https://t.co/17wrJ16wE7
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) October 9, 2019
Trump to the Kurds: Drop dead, because you didn't help us with Normandy. Yes, really. This is real life. https://t.co/5rBmvgmgGp
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) October 9, 2019
Angry, shocked, overwhelmed? Take action: Support independent media.
We’ve borne witness to a chaotic first few months in Trump’s presidency.
Over the last months, each executive order has delivered shock and bewilderment — a core part of a strategy to make the right-wing turn feel inevitable and overwhelming. But, as organizer Sandra Avalos implored us to remember in Truthout last November, “Together, we are more powerful than Trump.”
Indeed, the Trump administration is pushing through executive orders, but — as we’ve reported at Truthout — many are in legal limbo and face court challenges from unions and civil rights groups. Efforts to quash anti-racist teaching and DEI programs are stalled by education faculty, staff, and students refusing to comply. And communities across the country are coming together to raise the alarm on ICE raids, inform neighbors of their civil rights, and protect each other in moving shows of solidarity.
It will be a long fight ahead. And as nonprofit movement media, Truthout plans to be there documenting and uplifting resistance.
As we undertake this life-sustaining work, we appeal for your support. We have 8 days left in our fundraiser: Please, if you find value in what we do, join our community of sustainers by making a monthly or one-time gift.