FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TURKEY: “On Tuesday [5-16-17] afternoon, President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan huddled at the White House — and then gave a joint press conference.
Within hours, Erdogan was at the Turkish ambassador’s home in upper Northwest Washington, watching as his personal guards participated in a bloody and violent clash with protesters gathered on the street outside the residence…
Even before those protests turned violent, there was considerable unhappiness within the Turkish community regarding Trump’s willingness to offer Erdogan an official White House visit. Human rights watchers have criticized the increasingly repressive nature of Erdogan’s regime, particularly in the wake of an April referendum that will greatly increase the president’s power.
Trump made no mention of those tensions on Tuesday. ‘It is a pleasure to welcome President Erdogan for his first visit to the White House in years,’ he said. ‘The American and Turkish peoples have been friends and allies for many, many decades.’ “
-Chris Cillizza, “Why you should be paying attention to what happened at the Turkish ambassador’s house this week,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 19, 2017 12:54pm