Trump invites highly controversial leader to White House

President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform Friday afternoon that another controversial foreign leader would be coming to the White House for negotiations near the end of the month.

"I am pleased to host President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of Turkey, at the White House on September 25th," wrote Trump. "We are working on many Trade and Military Deals with the President, including the large scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 Deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks, which we expect to conclude positively."

"President Erdoğan and I have always had a very good relationship. I look forward to seeing him on the 25th!" Trump finished.

Erdoğan has long been condemned by international observers for dismantling democratic institutions in Turkey and violating human rights. His prior visits to the United States have also been fraught, with his arrival in Washington, D.C. in May 2017 sparking an incident in which his security detail assaulted peaceful protesters.

Turkey is a member of NATO, acting in military alliance with the United States. However, Turkish interests have sometimes posed problems for the broader coalition, in particular making military purchases from Russia and temporarily blocking Sweden's accession into NATO.

Just weeks ago, Trump hosted Russia's Vladimir Putin, for whom he has expressed admiration for years, at a summit in Alaska, in an unsuccessful effort to broker a deal to stop his ongoing invasion of Ukraine.