Trump, Reacting to Pushback, Slows Syria Troop Withdrawal

For a president who has looked to the military for affirmation throughout his campaign and presidency, his decision to withdraw quickly from Syria was a significant split from his military and civilian advisers.

(By Eric Schmitt and Maggie Haberman)

President Donald Trump has agreed to give the military about four months to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, administration officials said Monday, backtracking from his abrupt order two weeks ago that the military pull out within 30 days.

Trump confirmed on Twitter that troops would “slowly” be withdrawn, but complained that he got little credit for the move after a fresh round of criticism from retired Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal and reports from the departing White House chief of staff, John Kelly, himself a retired Marine general, about the president’s impulsive decision-making.

“If anybody but Donald Trump did what I did in Syria, which was an ISIS loaded mess when I became President, they would be a national hero,” Trump wrote. “ISIS is mostly gone, we’re slowly sending our troops back home to be with their families, while at the same time fighting ISIS remnants.”