President Donald Trump on Tuesday justified his widely panned decision to sell out Kurdish allies in Northern Syria by pointing out the the Turkish government is “a big trading partner of the United States.”

Trump on Sunday announced a withdrawal of American forces from Syria, which he said would then be followed by a Turkish military operation in the area. Turkey has long planned a military operation aimed at wiping out American-backed Kurdish forces in the region, which has led to accusations that the president has blatantly sold out key allies in the fight against Islamic State.

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Trump, however, believes this sellout was acceptable because of the economic benefits America gets from its relationship with Turkey.

“So many people conveniently forget that Turkey is a big trading partner of the United States, in fact they make the structural steel frame for our F-35 Fighter Jet,” the president wrote in defense of his actions.