Trump and Erdogan: A transatlantic love affair
Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Donald Trump of the United States get along very well but appear to achieve little for the countries' long-term relationship.
The words they chose in addressing each other suggested a kind of “love affair” between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the president of the United States, Donald Trump. The latter poured lavish praise on his guest at the White House, saying before the cameras, “I am a great fan of yours.” Erdogan, who called Trump “my dear friend,” saw his controversial visit to American capital coincide with the beginning of the impeachment hearings in Congress.
Aside from this sort of exchange of compliments, the visit did not seem to produce any significant outcome for the benefit of either, although many pundits took pains to discover or invent one. Looking at the results, I interpreted the unusual expression of sentiments between two heads of state as “a transatlantic love affair.”
