President Trump referred to a reporter as “Mr. Kurd” during a news conference Wednesday as he called on him to ask a question.
“Yes, please, Mr. Kurd,” the president said to the journalist.
“Thank you very much for your time, Mr. President,” the reporter said.
He then asked what the US relationship will look like with the Kurds when the war on ISIS is over.
“OK, we’re trying to get along very well,” Trump said. “We do get along great with the Kurds. We’re trying to help them a lot. Don’t forget, that’s their territory. We have to help them. I want to help them.”
“They fought with us. They fought with us. They died with us. They died. We lost tens of thousands of Kurds died fighting ISIS,” the president continued.
“They died for us, and with us, and for themselves,” he said. “They died for themselves, but they’re great people, and we have not forget — we don’t forget, I don’t forget what happens someday later, but I can tell you that I don’t forget. These are great people.”
Earlier in the press conference, Trump had called on a different Kurdish reporter. During that exchange, someone else in the audience off camera identified themselves as being Kurdish, so it was unclear who “Mr. Kurd” was when Trump called on him.