Ann Coulter is puzzled why Trump would hit Syria's Assad, 'one of the better leaders' in the region

Ann Coulter defends Assad on Fox News
(Image credit: Fox News/YouTube)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have killed several tens of thousands of civilians and dissidents in six years of civil war sparked by his harsh crackdown on protests, including some 1,500 people slain by chemical weapons. It was Assad's latest chemical weapon attack on civilians that prompted President Trump to fire 59 Tomahawk missiles at one of Assad's air bases last week. Now, Trump's administration "is maneuvering to topple Bashar al-Assad from power," Tucker Carlson said Wednesday night on Fox News. "That's surprising to some of his longtime fans who appreciated his calls to avoid foreign quagmires."

One of those puzzled fans is Ann Coulter, and Carlson asked her what longtime Trump supporters should think about the events of the past week. "It's very hard to explain this Syrian attack," she said. "It is certainly not a vital national security interest. We generally don't — at least conservatives don't — support rushing around the world for humanitarian reasons. And for that region of the world, Assad is one of the better leaders — there's probably only one or two that are better than he. He's not even like a Saddam Hussein murderous thug."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.