{"id":55420,"date":"2018-04-15T19:53:54","date_gmt":"2018-04-15T19:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/15\/analysis-trump-finds-leaving-syria-tougher-than-he-thought\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:42:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:42:34","slug":"analysis-trump-finds-leaving-syria-tougher-than-he-thought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/analysis-trump-finds-leaving-syria-tougher-than-he-thought\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: Trump finds leaving Syria tougher than he thought"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 In heated exchanges with his national security team in recent weeks, President Donald Trump repeatedly made clear he saw little incentive for the United States to be involved in Syria\u2019s intractable civil war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he pushed the U.S. military back into the quagmire.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2018\/04\/12\/strikes-on-syria-pose-risk-of-conflict-with-russia-and-us-troops-on-the-ground\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-11-at-14.51.02.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US strikes on Syria pose risk of conflict with Russia<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump was sending mixed messages on whether to launch missile strikes on Syria amid growing concerns about risking a conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In doing so, Trump is trying to confront a dilemma that haunted his predecessor, Barack Obama. Syria\u2019s seven-year civil war presents few fast or easy solutions for the U.S., yet the geopolitical rivalries at play, the presence of the Islamic State group and other extremists, and the atrocities perpetrated by the Assad government make the situation impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thus far, Trump and his top advisers have sent mixed messages about what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/14\/retaliatory-strikes-on-syria-underway\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Friday\u2019s U.S., British and French strikes<\/a> may mean for his administration\u2019s future commitment in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strikes themselves were limited \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pentagon\/2018\/04\/14\/us-launched-105-weapons-against-syria-with-none-intercepted-dod-says\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">105 weapons launched against three targets<\/a>. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis described the action as a \u201cone-time shot\u201d in retaliation for the Syrian government\u2019s apparent use of chemical weapons in an April 7 attack that killed more than 40 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/04\/trump-wants-troops-out-of-syria-but-his-generals-may-resist\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3875398.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump wants troops out of Syria, but his generals may resist<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The White House pushing for a \u201crapid end\u201d to the mission in Syria, but experts on the region see the Pentagon\u2019s operational momentum as the key hurdle.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, however, cast the strikes in more sweeping terms, promising he was ready to keep the U.S. military engaged if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/western-airstrikes-unlikely-to-impact-assads-war-machine\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Syrian President Bashar Assad<\/a> were to use deadly gases again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents,\u201d Trump said in a televised address to the nation from the White House on Friday night.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=6aed61fa-1eea-4373-a2ca-4cae9b913e26\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-6aed61fa-1eea-4373-a2ca-4cae9b913e26.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump speaks from the White House, and explains why he ordered strikes against Syria on April 13th, 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His comments were echoed Saturday by Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who said the president told her the military was \u201clocked and loaded\u201d if Syria launched another chemical weapons attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president\u2019s statement was a marked shift from his recent posture on Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/04\/white-house-says-syria-mission-coming-to-a-rapid-end\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18094554860569.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump scales back US goals in Syria, leaves future to others<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump is dramatically scaling back U.S. goals in Syria as he pushes for a quick military withdrawal, Trump administration officials said Wednesday, abandoning plans to stay long-term to stabilize the country and prevent the Islamic State group from re-emerging.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, he privately told advisers that the U.S. was getting \u201cnothing\u201d out of being involved in Syria and he made clear he wanted the 2,000 American troops currently there fighting ISIS militants out by the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That order left many of Trump\u2019s national security advisers on edge, concerned that pulling out even that small U.S. force would result in a power vacuum that Iran could fill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It did win him praise from political supporters who perceive Syria as a costly wasteland and see Trump as a president who promised an \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda that did not include sustained American military commitments overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/30\/in-private-trump-has-mused-about-syria-pullout-for-weeks\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-939809408.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">In private, Trump has mused about Syria pullout for weeks<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump\u2019s unscripted remark this week about pulling out of Syria \u201cvery soon,\u201d while at odds with his own policy, was not a one-off.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The importance of that pledge to some Trump backers quickly became apparent, with even the relatively limited American intervention in Syria leaving them deeply frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is not why Donald Trump got elected,\u201d said Laura Ingraham, the Fox News host who has been supportive of the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ann Coulter, another conservative commentator, spent the weekend highlighting angry messages on Twitter from apparent Trump supporters, including one who wrote that while the \u201cthe direct damage was some buildings in Damascus; the collateral damage was Trump\u2019s political support base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"712\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18104679594612.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18104679594612.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18104679594612.jpg.jpg?resize=300,209 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18104679594612.jpg.jpg?resize=768,534 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters with the Answer Coalition gather in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Saturday, April 14, 2018, to denounce the bombing in Syria. (Carolyn Kaster\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Trump was bothered by the growing criticism, he didn\u2019t show it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He took to Twitter on Saturday morning and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/trump-defends-mission-accomplished-after-strike-on-syria\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">wrote \u201cMission Accomplished\u201d<\/a> \u2014 adopting a phrase that haunted President George W. Bush during the Iraq war. For some, those two words represent the short-sightedness about how quickly the U.S. can become entangled in a protracted Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s view of the situation on Syria has shifted repeatedly in recent years. As a private citizen in 2013, he said Obama should \u201cstay the hell out of Syria.\u201d Trump condemned Obama for declaring that Syria\u2019s use of chemical weapons would cross a \u201cred line\u201d for the United States and he said it made Obama look weak when he didn\u2019t follow through with a military strike after Assad used deadly gases against civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Less than three months after Trump took office, the U.S. assessed that Assad had again used chemical weapons to kill Syrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/in-run-up-to-missile-strike-an-orderly-chaotic-white-house\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">In run-up to missile strike, an orderly, chaotic White House<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">For the second time in his presidency, President Donald Trump stared, horrified at pictures of children killed in a chemical attack in Syria.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moved by the images of dead children, Trump stunned many of his own supporters by saying that the action had crossed \u201cmany, many lines\u201d for him. He ordered a U.S. airstrike on a Syrian air base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, Trump\u2019s views on the situation in Syria have evolved. Earlier this year, he began telling advisers that as soon as the U.S. could declare victory against IS, which has taken hold in Syria amid the chaos of the civil war, he wanted American troops out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a recent event in Ohio, Trump said of Syria: \u201cLet other people take care of it now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just one week later came the attack that drew Trump back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><b>EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: <\/b>AP Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace has covered the White House and politics since 2007. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In heated exchanges with his national security team in recent weeks, President Donald Trump repeatedly made clear he saw little incentive for the United States to be involved in Syria\u2019s intractable civil war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":93515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1071],"class_list":["post-55420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OXI4JPZMWBBZ5BEDCG2DWNLXM4","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/analysis-trump-finds-leaving-syria-tougher-than-he-thought\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Analysis: Trump finds leaving Syria tougher than he thought - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In heated exchanges with his national security team in recent weeks, President Donald Trump repeatedly made clear he saw little incentive for the United States to be involved in Syria\u2019s intractable civil war.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/analysis-trump-finds-leaving-syria-tougher-than-he-thought\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Analysis: Trump finds leaving Syria tougher than 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