Trump fever sweeps Iraqi Kurdistan
The Kurdish people have been celebrating Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections in many different ways, in the hope that his presidency will bring more support for an independent Kurdistan.
BAGHDAD — A restaurant owner in Dahuk province in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq named his restaurant, which opened one week after Donald Trump won the US presidential elections, after the president-elect.
Many Iraqis reveled in Trump’s victory, which went viral on social media in Iraq. Some Iraqis have gone so far as naming their newborns after the incoming US president.
The father of a baby boy, who was born into a Kurdish family in Dahuk, named his child Trump. He said he supports Trump for his supportive positions vis-a-vis the Kurdistan Region.
This unprecedented jubilation in Iraq with Trump’s Nov. 8 victory is in response to Trump's support for the Kurdish people, as seen in June statements by Trump Middle East policy adviser Walid Phares. Phares said Trump is a close friend of the Kurdish people and has always endeavored to strengthen relations between Washington and the Kurds. He added that Trump, as president, will not object to any US decision that is in the interest of the Kurds, including secession and independence.
