News

Trump calls on Kurdish reporter by saying ‘Mr. Kurd’

by Justin Wise - 09/26/18 6:20 PM ET

President Trump referred to a Kurdish journalist as “Mr. Kurd” during a press conference on Wednesday.

“Yes, please, Mr. Kurd, go ahead” Trump said in a press conference at the United Nations in New York while calling on a journalist. The Kurds are an Iranian ethnic group in the Middle East.

Trump addresses a reporter as “Mr. Kurd” pic.twitter.com/fiYhHODYaE

— Deena Zeina Zaru ‍ (@Deena_Zaru) September 26, 2018

The journalist responded by asking Trump a question about what U.S. relations will be with the Kurds post-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

{mosads}Trump replied that the U.S. gives considerable assistance to the Kurds, before saying that thousands of Kurds died fighting ISIS.

“We’re trying to help them a lot,” Trump said. “Don’t forget that’s their territory. We have to help them. They fought with us. They died with us.”

A New York Times reporter later tweeted that the journalist’s name was Rahim Rashidi and that he works for Kurdistan TV.

“I love it,” he said when asked about Trump. “He made me happy by this sentence.”

I just spoke with “Mr. Kurd.”

His name is Rahim Rashidi, he works for Kurdistan TV, and he is thrilled.

“I love it!” he said of Trump. “He made me happy by this sentence.”

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) September 26, 2018

While Trump made news on a variety of topics, including Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation battle and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s future, it was the “Mr. Kurd” reference that many noted on Twitter.

“Yes, please. Mr. Kurd,” said the President of the United States with another Kurdish journalist.

— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) September 26, 2018