President Trump on Wednesday addressed his decision to withdraw American troops from northern Syria, abandoning our Kurdish allies—who have done a majority of the fighting against ISIS—before an impending attack by Turkey. Trump noted several contributing factors, including that the Kurds, an Iranian ethnic group, did not help the United States during World War II—including the invasion of Normandy Beach. “Now the Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you understand. They’re fighting for their land. And as somebody wrote in a very very powerful article today: They didn't help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy, as an example, they mention names of different battles... but they’re there to help us with their land,” Trump said.

The president appears to have been referring to a Tuesday Townhall column by Kurt Schlichter praising Trump for his decision. “The Kurds helped destroy ISIS, true. It’s also true that the Kurds would have fought ISIS anyway, since the psycho caliphate was right next door,” Schlichter writes. “Let’s be honest—the Kurds didn’t show up for us at Normandy or Inchon or Khe Sanh or Kandahar.” Trump went on to cite other deciding factors, including the “military industrial complex.” “We have spent tremendous amounts of money with helping the Kurds in terms of ammunition, in terms of weapons, in terms of money, in terms of pay,” Trump explained. “With all of that being said, we like the Kurds.”