President Donald Trump was faced with a "serious choice" when he learned from Turkey's president that he was going to move against the Kurds in northern Syria, and had he not moved U.S. troops out of the crossfire, he would have been condemned for making a "horrific decision," White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said Thursday.
"The Democrats in this instance only want to attack the president because his name is Donald Trump," Gidley told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "If this were any other president, 'President Smith,' they would be praising it as protecting the American soldiers in harm's way."
Turkey's attack on Syria was going to happen, Gidley added, "made the prudent decision based on the information given by his generals and experts in the Middle East to get those people out of the way to protect their lives. He did that and they will live to fight another day."
On Wednesday, several House Republicans joined with Democrats to pass a House resolution condemning the U.S. troops. Gidley called the action "just another move by a Democrat congress and some of the Republicans who want to continue these types of aggressive wars and our occupation in areas as a peacekeeping force, a police force if you will."
Trump ran on a campaign promise to bring soldiers out of harm's way, and even with the pullout from Syria, there is still a force in the region that can be moved back if needed, said Gidley.
Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are meeting with Turkey's President Recep Erdogan Thursday, pointed out Gidley, and the administration wants "the temperature brought down."
He also criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her actions during a fiery White House meeting held on Wednesday.
"She takes the opportunity to stand up and actually dictate or try to to the president of the United States, to push her agenda, to begin to escalate and hijack the meeting to simply insult the president of the United States,' he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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