CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin argued that President Trump might be making a politically savvy move by withdrawing troops out of northern Syria.
“Isn’t it true that the public, not 100%, is more with Trump than with the politicians on this one?” Toobin asked Monday on CNN. “Do you think there’s an enormous desire for our troops to be over in Syria for years more, to be in Afghanistan for almost 20 years? I think the president may have his finger on the pulse. I don’t know if it’s in the national security interest, but I don’t see this as a political negative for the president at all.”
Toobin’s defense of Trump was in contrast to the rest of the panel, which condemned Trump’s move.
CNN host Wolf Blitzer noted that Trump’s troop withdrawal was “very consistent” with a foreign policy view Trump has been promoting for 20 years.
Toobin has been a frequent critic of the president and said he regrets the way he covered the 2016 election.
The president announced Monday that the U.S. would be withdrawing troops from northern Syria, where America’s Kurdish allies are stationed.
The move reportedly blindsided the foreign policy community and brought widespread condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats.
