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Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets ‘dear friend’ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at UN

President Donald Trump meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump on Thursday said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “getting very high marks,” despite his increasingly autocratic behavior.

“It’s a great honor and privilege — because he’s become a friend of mine — to introduce President Erdogan of Turkey,” Trump told reporters. “He’s running a very difficult part of the world. He’s involved very, very strongly and, frankly, he’s getting very high marks.”

Erdogan, who spoke through a translator ahead of his meeting with Trump at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, echoed Trump’s sentiment, calling the American president “my dear friend, Donald.”

Click here to read more from Politico.

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Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with Japan’s Abe, agrees to visit country before year’s end

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed Thursday in New York to accelerate arrangements for Trump to make his first official visit to Japan before the end of the year.

Sources close to the matter have said the governments are planning a visit in November.

“I have been holding several telephone meetings with President Trump at appropriate times, but by having him visit Japan, I want to make Japan-U.S. relations even more solid and deepen our bonds,” Abe told reporters after a roughly hourlong meeting with Trump on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly.

“The relationship has never been closer, I believe, with Japan and the United States,” Trump said at the start of the talks. Continue reading “Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with Japan’s Abe, agrees to visit country before year’s end”

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Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with S. Korean president, bashes trade agreement

President Trump on Thursday bashed the five-year-old trade agreement between the United States and South Korea while sitting next to that nation’s president, Moon Jae-in.

Trump, who earlier this month threatened to withdraw from the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, said that, besides discussing North Korea’s growing nuclear threat, the two leaders would address nagging trade issues.

“So because of the fact that our trade deal is so bad for the United States and so good for South Korea, I said we’ll focus on the military, but actually we’re going to try to straighten it out and make it fair for everybody,” Trump said while sitting next to Moon ahead of their meeting.

“But our real focus will be on the military and our relationship with South Korea, which is excellent,” he said.

Trump’s plan to withdraw from the free trade agreement with South Korea was met with backlash from agriculture and other business groups and pushback from within the White House.

Click here to read more from The Hill.

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Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko

President Trump met Thursday with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, praising the stability his government achieved despite interference and aggressive moves by Russia on its borders.

“I wouldn’t say it is the easiest place to live right now, but you’re making it better and better on a daily basis,” Mr. Trump said.

He said “borders” would be a major topic of their discussion, which took place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Continue reading “Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko”

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Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with Afghan president, touts ‘great progress’ amid troop surge

President Trump during a meeting with Afghanistan’s president on Thursday touted the “great progress” in the conflict there as the U.S. prepares to send more troops.

“We are working very well together, we are working very hard,” Trump said. “Our military is as you know over there right now and doing really an incredible job, more of leadership than fighting. We are leading a lot of wonderful Afghan troops who are fighting very hard … and great progress is being made.”

Still, sitting next to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the United Nations, Trump described Afghanistan as a “hornet’s nest” for terror groups in comments one day after the Pentagon announced it will be sending 3,000 additional U.S. troops to the country. Continue reading “Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with Afghan president, touts ‘great progress’ amid troop surge”

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Thur, Sept 21, 2017: Trump meets with leaders of Afghanistan, Ukraine, S. Korea, Japan, and Turkey

In the morning, President Trump heads back to the New York Palace Hotel where he will meet – separately – with the leaders of Afghanistan, Ukraine, and South Korea.

The president will also have a working lunch and meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister and then meet with the president of Turkey.

He then heads to the Wall Street Heliport where Marine One will take him back to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.