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.
Still, people kept wondering if they heard the president correctly when he referred the journalist as “Mr. Kurd.”
Did he just call him Mr. Kurd?
“Holy shit.”
Holy shit, he's just calling on that guy as "Mr. Kurd" now.
“...did...”
Confirmed! "Yes, please, Mr. Kurd?"
@thehill
“Oh my, did he just say Mr. Kurd.”
Oh my, did he just say Mr. Kurd. That is like Mr. Jew or Mr. African. Unreal
However, a New York Times reporter later identified “Mr. Kurd” as Rahim Rashidi of Kurdistan TV. And he was apparently elated over the exchange.
I just spoke with “Mr. Kurd.” His name is Rahim Rashidi, he works for Kurdistan TV, and he is thrilled. “I love it!” he said of Trump. “He made me happy by this sentence.”