Trump Report Card: A solid ‘F’

The West Wing woes overshadowed some good news, especially on the trade front. Trump announced Friday that China and the United States have reached a “phase one” agreement. Plus, he signed two executive orders to bring sunlight into the regulatory process.

John Zogby
Grade F

There is absolutely nothing good about this week for President Trump. Talks are breaking down with North Korea. He announced the pullout of troops in Syria, thus welcoming an attack from Turkey against the Kurds who fought hard with the U.S. to defeat the Islamic State in that country.

Even though there was just a short blurb Friday that there is progress in trade talks with China, he has alienated plenty of farmers, manufacturers, consumers and allies with his tariffs.

He is being trashed by Republicans in the Senate and House, openly criticized by former members of his administration, and has now lost his acting homeland security chief.

Tens of thousands of his devoted followers gathered to cheer him on at rallies in Minnesota and Louisiana, but he carried on like a drunken sailor. Terrible week; shameful man.

Jed Babbin
Grade F

President Trump had one of his worst weeks ever. After a conversation with Turkey’s Islamist president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — who is an enemy, not an ally — Trump announced that he was pulling our troops out of northeastern Syria. That clearly green-lighted a Turkish attack on our Kurdish allies.

The Kurds have, for years, been fighting alongside our troops to defeat ISIS and resist the Iranian-Russian continued expansion in Syria. They fought, bled, and died in our cause.

The day after his surprise announcement, Trump said that he would “obliterate” Turkey’s economy if it did anything he disapproved of in Syria. But since Wednesday, when Turkish forces began their ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kurds (the Turks claim to have killed about 200 already, and they’re just getting going), Trump has done nothing.

Trump’s latest comment is that we have three choices: Either send in thousands of troops, sanction Turkey’s economy, or try to mediate a deal between the Kurds and the Turks. Of those choices, he won’t (and shouldn’t) do the first, has apparently talked himself out of the second, and can’t do the third because the Turks are determined to eradicate the Kurds.

There up to 12,000 ISIS jihadists who were being held by our troops or the Kurds in more than a dozen sites around northeastern Syria. With the exception of the two men seized by the U.S. before our withdrawal, they all will either escape or be released. Many travel on European passports and could gain entry into the U.S. — or their home countries in Europe — easily. How does that improve our national security?

Trump doesn’t understand that you don’t end wars by just quitting. He could have warned Erdoğan to stay out of Syria, but he didn’t and his threats of retaliation lack credibility. This is a strategic error, a perfidious betrayal of an ally and a great win for Russia, Iran, Turkey, and ISIS.

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is We Are Many, We Are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America. Follow him on Twitter @TheJohnZogby

Jed Babbin is aWashington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin