Erdogan not amused after Trump calls him out for 'rigged election'
President Donald Trump seemed to accuse Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of running a “rigged election” during a White House visit Thursday.
Erdogan, in power since 2003 and president since 2014, has faced repeated allegations of electoral manipulation, including charges of fraud and systemic bias during the 2017 referendum, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
“We have been friends for a long time, actually, even for four years, when I was in exile,” Trump said, referencing his contention that he was forced from office unfairly. “Rigged elections. He knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” he added, pointing at Erdogan.
Trump said the two leaders planned a “big discussion” on trade and expected a “very interesting couple of hours” before sitting down for lunch. He also credited Erdogan for freeing American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was jailed in Turkey on terrorism and espionage charges in 2016 and released in 2018 after U.S. pressure.
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