Trump to Erdogan amid chaos in Turkey: “Good leader”

President Trump met with several ambassadors-designate to various countries at the White House after their Senate confirmation.

Trump and Erdogan — Anadolu Agency

Among them was the nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Barrack, who made brief remarks to the press alongside other ambassador nominees.

Expressing his gratitude and satisfaction for the opportunity to work with Trump, Barrack described Turkey as “one of the most ancient civilizations.”

In response, President Trump remarked, “Good country; good leader,”

Social media — Serbestiyet.com

What happening in Turkey?

Across Turkey, tens of thousands of people protested on Saturday night against the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu.

However, İmamoğlu’s detention was not the only reason for the protests. Young demonstrators linked their protests to “their stolen right to vote and be elected.”

Ekrem İmamoğlu (Web)

Ekrem İmamoğlu was elected Mayor of Istanbul, one of Turkey’s and Europe’s largest cities, after securing more then 4 million votes in the repeat municipal election held on June 23, 2019.

16.06.2019 — Ekrem İmamoğlu (Anadolu Agency)

Ekrem İmamoğlu won the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality elections held on March 31, 2019, against his opponent Binali Yıldırım by a margin of approximately 13,000 votes.

Çiğdem Alyanak, Ferdi Türkten, Zafer Fatih Beyaz | 23.06.2019 | Anadolu Agency

However, following objections from the AK Party and MHP, the Supreme Election Council annulled the election, citing allegations of irregularities, and decided to hold a rerun. In the renewed election, İmamoğlu won again with a margin of approximately 800,000 votes.