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US President Donald Trump emerged from a wide-ranging meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the White House today with a new outlook on America’s role in Syria.
Instead of focusing on his oft-stated desire to quickly pull out the 2,000 US troops battling the remnants of the Islamic State (IS), Trump laid out a strategic justification for long-term US involvement in the conflict. He and Macron, he said, shared a common goal to “leave a strong and lasting footprint, and that was a very big part of our discussion.”
“As far as Syria is concerned, I would love to get out. I’d love to bring our incredible warriors back home,” Trump said at a joint press briefing with Macron after their meeting. “With that being said, Emmanuel and myself have discussed the fact that we don’t want to give Iran open season to the Mediterranean.”
The change of tone marked a significant win for the 40-year-old French president, who has used fist bumps, a military parade and an Eiffel Tower dinner to help persuade Trump to remain diplomatically and militarily active in the Middle East. Rather than rip up the Iran deal, Macron said, the United States should work with Europe to strengthen oversight of Iran’s nuclear program while keeping Tehran in check, notably in Syria.
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