Here’s what Trump needs to do about Erdogan’s claims of a Trump apology

President Trump allegedly apologized to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan regarding the bloody brawl that between members of the Turkish security team and American protesters this past summer.

Erdogan told NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff that, “Actually, President Trump called me about a week ago about this issue. He said that he was sorry, and he told me that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework of an official visit. The protesters were insulting us, and they were screaming and shouting. The police failed to intervene properly.”

D.C. and New York journalists on Twitter immediately responded in disgust at Trump, implicitly believing Erdogan’s account.

In a statement to Axios, a White House official said that the two presidents, “discussed a wide range of issues” but stressed that “the comments were not true and the President did not apologize.”

Neither president has a great reputation in America. Erdogan has been criticized by many for the fact that Turkey, a NATO member, seems to be getting closer and closer with Russia. Erdogan has also been accumulating power to himself.

Many journalists simply don’t believe President Trump, though. A majority of the responses to BuzzFeed reporter John Hudson’s tweet on the matter all called out the administration’s less-than-sterling reputation and track record.

However, Politico reporter Nahal Toosi feels that the situation might be in the wrong context. Correcting her initial post of “Seriously WHAT THE HELL?” (Capitals hers), Toosi tweeted:

Last May, many in Congress denounced the fight as an attack on Americans exercising their rights in their own country. A nonbinding resolution was passed to formally condemn the Turkish nationals. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tweeted:

The State Department did release a brief statement saying that they were “concerned” about the violence, which is “never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest.” They noted that they were conveying their grievances to the Turkish government, “in the strongest possible terms.”

While a dozen members of the Turkish security team were charged, the White House never gave a statement on the incident.

There’s a simple solution for Trump to ease the waters — and that’s for him to do what he does best: take to Twitter. (Alternatively: raise hell on Twitter)

Here’s the three tweets Trump needs to post:

1. Denounce the rumors by either clarifying what could have been a mistranslation or misinterpretation

2. Give an update on the investigation into the foreigners involved in the brawl and their punishment

3. Reassure the American people that protesters will be protected and defended, especially against foreign pressures

I know Trump is busy insulting North Korea and meeting with important heads of state at the UN, but if he could spare the time to call out the Emmys, doesn’t it stand to reason he could comment on these rumors? He should follow through on what he said the General Assembly at the U.N., and put Americans first.

Gabriella Muñoz is a commentary desk intern with the Washington Examiner and a student at Georgetown University.