Trump says "there's a lot of pressure on Turkey." He says Obama "created a natural war" between Turkey and the PKK (?). He says, "I've told Turkey that if they do anything outside of what we would think is humane...they could suffer the wrath of an extremely decimated economy."
Trump is taking sole credit for defeating the ISIS caliphate ("I took it over"). He says he wanted ISIS fighters and families to go back to Europe, "and they said no no no." He says "they're so used to the United States being a sucker, being a fool."
Trump on European countries' refusal to take back their ISIS nationals: "Maybe they won't be saying no now, I don't know."
Trump says countries in the "neighborhood" -- "not a friendly neighborhood" - have "got armies" and "can do the work." He says they hate ISIS and ISIS also hates them.
"If Turkey does anything out of what they should be doing," Trump says, he will severely damage their economy. He isn't being specific about what Turkey should be doing.
Asked if he consulted with the Joint Chiefs, Trump says, "I consulted with everybody." He says he "always" consults with everybody.
Trump: "If you look at some of the Kurds...that's a natural enemy of Turkey." He decries the US injecting itself into "tribal wars" and "revolutions."
Trump says the hardest thing he has to do in the job is write letters to the families of slain soldiers. He says he makes each letter different because all of the individuals are different.
Trump transitions from Syria and the Kurds to a poll he says he saw where he is "up massively with independent voters." He's making the point that he campaigned against endless wars.
Trump says it's shocking that Ukraine is so corrupt because he knows Ukrainian people and they are good.
Trump is criticizing Rep. Adam Schiff at length for Schiff's rendition of his phone call with Zelensky. "I think he's having some kind of a breakdown," Trump says of Schiff.
Trump says few people could handle what he's having to handle, but "I sort of thrive."
Trump claims his poll numbers have increased "17 points in the last two or three days." Nothing like that has happened in the public polls.
