ISIS/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Amid ongoing discussions and confusion about the future of the US presence in Syria, President Donald Trump had words of comfort for a representative of a key ally in the fight against ISIS on Monday [1-28-19] night. ‘I love the Kurds,’ Trump told Kurdish Leader Ilham Ahmed in an unconventional diplomatic meeting at the Trump International Hotel in Washington on Monday night. Ahmed asked Trump if he would leave the Kurds in Syria to be slaughtered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump promised them he would not…Ahmed is in Washington this week meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress. She was dining with congressional leadership on Monday night at the hotel when the President stopped by her table to say hello and stayed for a 10-minute conversation. Trump was there for a political fundraiser. Ahmed is hoping to meet with National Security Council officials later in the week. Her visit comes less than a month after she visited Moscow for similar talks.”
–Kylie Atwood, “Trump tells worried ally ‘I love the Kurds’ in hotel meeting,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, January 29, 2019 5:47 pm