(CNN) Former presidential candidate and congressman Ron Paul supports President Donald Trump's widely criticized decision to pull more than 2,000 US troops from Syria, calling his announcement "fantastic."

"I don't see it as a political event as much as he had good defense. He campaigned on it. He said it was a bad war. He wanted to get out," Paul said Saturday on CNN's "Smerconish." "I think he's doing great. I think it's fantastic that he's doing it."

Trump's decision drew outcry from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with one administration official saying "the President's decision-by-tweet will recklessly put American and allied lives in danger around the world."

And a day after his announcement, Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned , writing that Trump should have a secretary of defense whose views are "better aligned" with his own. A day after that the US envoy to the coalition to fight ISIS resigned as well , also in part beacuse of the Syria decision.

But Paul said Trump did the right thing.

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