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Trump Asks Macron, 'Would You Like Some Nice ISIS Fighters?'

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President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron butted heads on Tuesday in London over the issue of France taking custody of its citizens who were captured in Syria and Iraq while fighting for the Islamic State group.

Trump was asked during a news conference with Macron at the NATO summit if he had addressed the issue yet.

The American president replied they had discussed it on other occasions, but not so far during their present time together.

“We have a tremendous amount of captured ISIS fighters over in Syria, and they are all under lock and key, but many are from France, many are from Germany, many are from UK. They are mostly from Europe,” Trump said.

“Would you like some nice ISIS fighters?” Trump asked Macron.

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“I could give them to you. You could take every one you want.”



Macron did not answer Trump’s question, instead replying, “Let’s be serious.”

“It is true that you have foreign fighters coming from Europe, but this is a tiny minority of the overall problem we have in the region,” he continued.

Do you think France should take back its citizens who fought with the Islamic State group?

The French president then pivoted, saying, “I think No. 1 priority, because it’s not yet finished, is to get rid of ISIS.”

He explained that France will review on a case-by-case basis whether it will allow any of its citizens to be returned to the country.

Trump responded, with a smile, “This is why he’s a great politician, because that’s one of the greatest non-answers I’ve ever heard.”

Fox News reported that Trump’s exchange with Macron came hours after the president criticized the French leader for a “very, very nasty statement” about the NATO alliance.

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“What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO,” Macron told The Economist in early November.

“So as soon as you have a member who feels they have a right to head off on their own, granted by the United States of America, they do it,” Macron said, referring to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria following America’s withdrawal of troops from the border of the two countries.

On Tuesday, Macron said he agreed with Trump’s push to get NATO members to allocate more money for their own defense spending.

Macron noted the U.S. has “overinvested” in the alliance for decades.

The 28 member countries agree to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense spending.

Most of the countries spend less than that threshold, including France and Germany, while the U.S. and the U.K. are among a handful of members exceeding their obligations.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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