President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated former Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, referring to him as a “friend” and praising his “great struggle” in winning the presidential race.
In a message he released on social media, he expressed optimism about future US-Turkey relations under Trump’s renewed leadership.
I would like to congratulate my friend Donald Trump, who won the presidential election in the United States of America after a great struggle and was re-elected as the President of the United States,” Erdoğan wrote. “In this new era, which will begin with the choice of the American people, I hope that Turkey-US relations will be strengthened, regional and global crises and wars, especially the Palestinian issue and the Russia-Ukraine war, will end, and I believe that more efforts will be made for a fairer world.”
'Personal diplomacy'
During Trump’s previous term, the two leaders developed a unique relationship on which the bilateral relations relied on, enabling Erdoğan to maintain direct dialogue on critical issues with the US leader. Pro-government circles believe this helped Turkey secure certain concessions, including avoiding broader sanctions from the US.
One major issue during Trump’s administration was Turkey’s 2019 cross-border operation in Syria against US-backed Kurdish forces, which enabled Turkey to establish a 100-kilometer-long corridor after a one and a half-month offensive. But when Erdoğan sought to expand the operation, Trump sent a humiliating letter urging him not to be “a tough guy” or “a fool,” threatening severe economic repercussions if the offensive continued. Opposition voices in Turkey have resurfaced this letter in response to Erdoğan’s recent congratulatory message.
Another significant incident involved Pastor Andrew Brunson, whose 2018 detention in Turkey on charges of espionage prompted strong demands for his release from the Trump administration. When Ankara initially resisted, the Turkish lira experienced a sharp depreciation, falling from 5 to 7 lira against the dollar in days, sending economic shockwaves through the country.
However, Trump also shielded Turkey from harsher sanctions over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which triggered US sanctions under the CAATSA framework. Although Congress pushed for stricter measures, Trump limited sanctions to specific Turkish entities, such as the Defense Industry Directorate. He attributed Turkey’s S-400 purchase to what he called failures by the Obama administration to meet Turkey’s air defense needs.
The case of Halkbank, a state-owned Turkish bank accused in the US of violating sanctions against Iran, also figured prominently in Trump and Erdoğan’s “personal diplomacy.” (VK)
