Transcript for SPECIAL REPORT: President Trump visits US troops in Iraq on Christmas night

This is an ABC news special report. Tom governments. A good day we are following breaking news out of Iraq today president trumpet First Lady Maloney it from visiting troops at the all Assad air base this is west of Baghdad the president made some remarks both the troops and to the traveling press that is with him. We understand he said he has no plans to pull troops out of a rock. But did defend his decision to pull troops out of Syria here's the president earlier today speaking to the troops in Iraq. The other reason I'm here today is to personally thank you. And every service members throughout this region. With a near elimination of the ice is territorial. Cello played in Iraq. And in Syria. Two years ago. When I became president. Now you're a very dominant group. They were very dominance. Today than I have so dominant anymore. Great job I looked at a map. And two years ago it was. A lot of red all over that map and now you have a couple little spots and that's happening very quickly. That's happening very quickly you'll be seeing that I wanted to say great job. And will be watching ices very closely. In mind. We came due Alice the share. Our eternal gratitude for everything. You do to keep America safe strong and freed. The president there thank you our troops in Iraq also explaining his decision in part to pull troops out of Syria. There were some questions from reporters traveling with him here's the president now describing the trip to a rock. On Christmas night. Here today absolutely. Boehner will now go through. Concerns for the institution of the president's. Be good enough for myself personally. My concern is the First Lady I won't. But if you live seeing what we had to go through. Don't blame it all went close with no life so much so. Anywhere. Pitch black devastated their community their place we'll all types in Jason's size is not. We're telling him that night I don't know all of the days there were surrounding us. The safety certain arrogance or any actor sir but my bigger concern. What's being either people of the world where they certainly well. Exhibiting job we'll he's pretty. Doctor. And you vote John I revolvers and I think. President trump their inside of a briefing room at the Al Asad airbase in Iraq. As he was speaking to reporters in there speaking with the troops visiting with them just after Christmas with the First Lady. However bring in our chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz is Martha he did make a bit of news. Speaking both to the troops sent to reporters sane that. US military troops will be staying in a rock and again defending his decision to pull out of Syria your thoughts. Well I I think first of all picked it the United States invaded Iraq and that there are larger commitment and we have also seen what happens when we pull out all of our troops from Iraq as was done in twenty O Leavitt. Yeah President Obama pulled out all the troops in Iraq and that's what patriots came back into Iraq. It started taking over cities Mosul Fallujah. And stole it eat it that hit the it went from our mistakes on the other hand he is pulling out a couple of hundred troops from Syria against it by. But he is it to be departed. Secretary of defense and other national securities. Pointed who told the president that was not a good idea but on the one hand you really have to look at a locket there that's just a little over 5000. There. And they are try to stabilize the as the progress that they have made. Martha talking about the timing of this trip because as you mentioned pulling out of Syria. He reported earlier the draw down and Afghanistan. And his secretary of defense recently resigning. If you it is and absolutely amazing time for him to be in Iraq given all that is going on at the national security. World and in conflict zones around the world and hairy controversial decisions about. Pulling half the troops out of Afghanistan it is certainly some saying the country. I should debate and talk about that it fifteen to eight raptors but decision and what you give. Something like a number of people out half truths that an MP don't know exactly whether that will be the number that's your best information at this point at least half the troops. That it is really left to those commanders to figure out what wait a minute how to write you back because like people emptying the people forget about the military is a lot of it is just sick so the people you have there have a lot of support. One circuit that people actually doing the job and about 23 of those. Helping them. Up to be able to. Gay is these places didn't need in these bases getting beat protect get so out of the pretty significant goddamn mayor and you'd give have a lot of senior commanders and fighters say it's not a good idea to call them outward not dot. On the other hand we all know how long we've been there since October 2001 the longest war it in our history. OK Martha stand by for us or bring in senior national correspondent Terry Moran Terry as we look at this video from a rock we see a lot of troops smiling there we see the president smiling. Shaking hands we also see the First Lady Maloney a trump the president taking his wife into a conflict so something we'd we don't usually see. That's right and it is a state. And by this president by the first lady of support for the troops. He also heard the president talking there about the risk that it represented not just him. But to the First Lady a lot of people do fly in and out of Iraq it every day it's done. It is not constant rolling gunfire campers not like that at all but it is dangerous especially for target. Like the president of the United States and he talked about it and it speaks to the character Malulani at trump. That she decided to accompany him on this mission of goodwill to the troops that is what the main messages here you'd touch on. The role those troops are playing one of the things that the troops in Iraq will continue to do is watch ice is because while the president originally said ices his defeated. He noticed here today he did not quite say that is to territory early. They've been reduced and that's very different are still many thousands of fighters in Syria and Iraq who our armed could take up the battle again. And that's one of the things that the troops are doing there. And we can't forget so many of our brave men and women there are serving in Iraq during Christmas so many families back here at home now seeing these images of the commander in chief there with their loved ones are what a brilliant Terrell Paul married briefly she's at the White House and Terry you have some new reporting about how the strip came together. That's right Tom this certainly changes the conversation away from the shut down and the border wall but in fact this what they creep planned trip six weeks in the works. And they we're actually going to leave from Florida if not for the shut down. Tom terror thank you one more note though before we send it back to our stations across the country. The markets had a huge day today with the historical rebound look at that the Dow up around a thousand points. We will have much more on all of this of course an abcnews.com we'll have a full wrap up with the latest reporting from local rock. And Wall Street on world news tonight we thank you for watching I'm Tommy Thomas in Europe we now return tore regularly scheduled program. This has been a special.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.