Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.
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
A terrifying moment. We appeal for your support.
In the last weeks, we have witnessed an authoritarian assault on communities in Minnesota and across the nation.
The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. Yet, Trump-aligned billionaires and other allies have taken over many legacy media outlets — the culmination of a decades-long campaign to place control of the narrative into the hands of the political right.
We refuse to let Trump’s blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice.
But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Over 80 percent of Truthout’s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors.
Truthout has launched a fundraiser to add 432 new monthly donors in the next 7 days. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger one-time gift, Truthout only works with your support.