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Kilmeade Clashes With Sarah Sanders on Syria Withdrawal: Trump ‘Just Re-Founded ISIS’

December 21, 2018

"Fox and Friends" host Brian Kilmeade argued with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders Friday over the withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Following Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis announcing his resignation Thursday, Kilmeade said Trump's planned withdrawal was handing a massive victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin and to the Islamic State, known as ISIS.

"He’s giving Russia a big win, Vladimir Putin praised him, he also is doing exactly what he criticized President Obama for doing," Kilmeade said. "He said President Obama is the founder of ISIS. He just re-founded ISIS, because they’ve got 30,000 men there and they are already striking back with our would-be evacuation."

Sanders called the charge "outrageous."

"Brian, I have to respectfully and vehemently disagree with you," Sanders said. "The idea that the president has had nothing to do with helping ISIS reemerge is absolutely outrageous."

"Leaving is helping," Kilmeade said.

"Brian, I have to respectfully and vehemently disagree with you," Sanders said. "The idea that the president has had nothing to do with helping ISIS reemerge is absolutely outrageous."

"Leaving is helping," Kilmeade said.

"The president has put so much emphasis on rebuilding and making sure we have the strongest military on the face of the planet," she replied. "If ISIS wants to pick a fight with somebody, they sure as heck don’t want to pick a fight with Donald Trump because he will destroy them and defeat them."

She went on to say ISIS was almost entirely wiped out and U.S. forces are no longer needed in the region.

"The word on the ground is different from what you said," Kilemade replied as the segment came to an end.

At the beginning of hte segment, Sanders addressed the departure of Mattis and said he will continue to work well with the president for the rest of his tenure. But she emphasized that the troop withdrawals that have roiled Mattis and many others were long expected.

"Anyone that says they’re surprised by this has simply been living under a rock," Sanders said.

"We’ve defeated the territorial caliphate," she said. "Ninety-nine percent of ISIS has been wiped out of Syria."

"The president doesn't want to be in the middle of another civil war in the Middle East and put American lives on the line for that purpose," she added. "He wants to bring our men and women home."

Kilmeade also slammed President Donald Trump Thursday about his foreign policy, saying he "blindsided" his advisers and cabinet officials by announcing the "irresponsible" Syria wthdrawal.