Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described a recent assassination attempt on former US president and Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump as an “attack on democracy” during a phone call with him, according to a statement from the presidential communications directorate.
The directorate announced on X on Thursday that Erdoğan had a phone call with Trump where he once again condemned the assassination attempt on him during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 for the US presidential election in November.
Trump was wounded in his right ear, and the shooter was killed by the US Secret Service on the scene. The incident attracted international condemnation.
Cumhurbaşkanımız Sayın Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin 45. Başkanı ve Başkan Adayı Donald Trump ile bir telefon görüşmesi gerçekleştirdi.
Görüşmede Trump’a yönelik suikast girişimi ve sonrasında yaşananlar ele alındı.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan görüşmede,…
— T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı (@iletisim) July 18, 2024
During the phone call Erdoğan told Trump that his “brave stance” after the “heinous attack” was admirable and that the continuation of his election campaign without interruption strengthens democracy and should be seen as an indicator of trust in the foresight of the American people.
Erdoğan, who had a rocky relationship with Trump during his term in office between 2016 and 2021, also praised the former president for showing strong leadership with his messages of unity in order to reduce polarization and tension after the assassination attempt while congratulating him for his official nomination as the presidential candidate of the Republican Party.
The Republican Party formally nominated Trump as its presidential nominee on Monday for a third cycle in a row, nearly a decade after his first ascending to the top of the party. Trump left office in 2021 after he was defeated by current US President Joe Biden, who is his most likely rival for the November election but has not yet been officially nominated.
Erdoğan expressed hope that the US election in November will be beneficial for the US people and Turkey-US relations.
One of the most significant developments in the Erdoğan-Trump relationship was a letter the US president wrote to Erdoğan in 2019, in which he attempted to persuade the Turkish president to reverse a decision for a military operation against Kurdish militia forces that were US allies.
“History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen. Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!” Trump told Erdoğan in the letter, which was released by the White House at the time.
“Let’s work out a good deal!” Trump said. “You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy — and I will.”
Trump had the letter released to bolster his view that he did not give Turkey a green light to invade Syria as many US lawmakers were sharply critical of his decision to remove American forces from the conflict zone.
Erdoğan described the letter as “impolite” at the time, saying: “We haven’t forgotten this, and it’s not right to forget. But our mutual respect prevents us from keeping it on the agenda.”
Turkish presidential sources told media back then that President Erdoğan received the letter and put it in the trash.