US President Donald Trump has once again not hidden away from his close relationship with his Turkish counterpart, saying that he gets along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "very well."
In a new clip from an interview with Bob Woodward, President Trump said that his relationships with world leaders are better "the tougher and meaner they are," naming Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as an example, AXIOS reported.
There is little hiding now that Trump is prioritising his personal relationship with Erdoğan than serving the interests of Washington and NATO.
Trump's latest comments about the Turkish leader comes as little surprise considering how deep and long Trump’s relations with Erdoğan are, so much so that former National Security Adviser John Bolton describes it as a “bromance,” as reported by Greek City Times.
At a roundtable meeting, Trump hosted pastor Andrew Brunson, who was arrested in October 2016 in Turkey and on orders of Erdoğan was held for two years on charges of complicity with the Fethullah Gülen movement and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). At the meeting, Trump said to Brunson that Erdoğan "is very good," despite imprisoning the pastor for two years.
Last month, Trump also said in an interview on Fox News that he gets "along" with Erdogan and that the Turkish president "listens" to him, prompting people to question why then Trump has not ordered Erdoğan to deescalate tensions with Greece.
In the latest bout of praise for Erdoğan, Trump said "I get along very well with Erdogan, even though you're not supposed to because everyone says, 'What a horrible guy.' But, you know, for me it works out good."
"It's funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them. You'll explain that to me someday, ok? But maybe it's not a bad thing. The easy ones I maybe don't like as much or don't get along with as much," Trump added.
“It’s funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them,” President Trump said in an interview with @realBobWoodward. pic.twitter.com/6aCpqbO9jf
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 14, 2020
