Trump: US Should Stay Out of Syria

Reports of chemical weapons use in Syria doesn’t mean the United States should get involved in the country’s civil war, says Donald Trump.

“Now we’re supposed to get involved with Syria? I would say stay out,” the real estate and entertainment billionaire told Fox News on Monday morning.

“Al-Qaida is a member, and a very strong member, and really pushing the rebels. So now what we are going to be doing if we do this is funding al-Qaida, which is just what we’ve been doing,” Trump added.

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Despite the calls on Capitol Hill and elsewhere for stronger U.S. action and involvement, Trump urged caution about getting involved in another conflict in the Middle East. As an example, he cited the $1.5 trillion spent in Iraq, saying it had paid little in the way of dividends to U.S. interests in the region.

“This is just ridiculous,” he said, adding: “We got nothing [in return]. In the old days, to the victor belongs the spoils, we take some oil, we pay ourselves back at a minimum.”

He said the bottom line is that “we've gone through this before.”

“Who knows what weapons they have? Who really knows what weapons the really have? But wouldn’t you think maybe it’s time to stay out of one of these?” Trump continued, adding that he doesn't believe “we're going to make much difference” getting involved militarily, or perhaps even diplomatically, in the Syrian conflict.