By Derek Vanbuskirk
President Donald Trump seemed to accuse Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of running a “rigged election” during a White House visit Thursday.
Erdogan, in power since 2003 and president since 2014, has faced repeated allegations of electoral manipulation, including charges of fraud and systemic bias during the 2017 referendum, according to a study published in PLOS ONE. (RELATED: Kai Trump Launches New Product Line Straight From White House)
“We have been friends for a long time, actually, even for four years, when I was in exile,” Trump said, referencing his contention that he was forced from office unfairly. “Rigged elections. He knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” he added, pointing at Erdogan.
Trump said the two leaders planned a “big discussion” on trade and expected a “very interesting couple of hours” before sitting down for lunch. He also credited Erdogan for freeing American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was jailed in Turkey on terrorism and espionage charges in 2016 and released in 2018 after U.S. pressure.
Trump called Brunson’s release “a great thing for our Christian community.” He added that beyond trade, he wanted to push Erdogan to end Turkish purchases of Russian oil, citing Moscow’s “disgraceful” war in Ukraine as “a waste of human life.”
“This is a tough man. This is a guy who is highly opinionated,” Trump said of Erdogan. “Usually, I don’t like opinionated people, but I like this one.” (RELATED: Michael Cohen Snaps On Livestream When Trolls Turn Him Into A Turkey)
