President Donald Trump just praised his decision to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from Northern Syria, opening the door for Turkey to begin ethnic cleansing of America’s now-former allies in the war against ISIS as “strategically brilliant.” U.S. troops have condemned the move, which has destroyed decades of U.S.-international diplomacy and military action, and resuscitated ISIS as a terrorist organization.

Experts have said Trump’s moves over the past week have strengthened Russia enormously.

(Watch the look on the note-taker’s face as Trump speaks.)

“I view the situation on the Turkish border with Syria to be, for the United States, strategically brilliant,” President Trump says amid bipartisan criticism of his administration’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops https://t.co/oLkZhiTJJK pic.twitter.com/XUtmB9c3XW

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 16, 2019

Senior advisor for President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign, Katrina Pierson, has pushed back on criticism about the low number of Black peoplein the administration by comparing the Trump administration to that of President Lincoln more than 150 years prior. 

The comments came up on “Politics Nation” on MSNBC this Saturday, as host Reverend Al Sharpton attempted to get Pierson and panelist David Brock of Media Matters fo America to name a single black staff member of the President. 

“Historically, Republicans and Democrats have had major figures of the black community in the West Wing as part of their senior staff and administration,” said Sharpton. “Who are the blacks in the West Wing under President Trump?”

Pierson countered, “You mean those who took the job or those who were offered? Because those are two entirely different questions.” 

“Everything has to be made about race, reverend… I’m not going to participate if you’re going to continue to paint this president as racist.” 

Sharpton tried to move away from the discussion to a point, turning to Brock to ask how Trump could really ask for black votes without having black people in the West Wing. 

Pierson jumped in, “there’s plenty of black people in the West Wing.”

“Well, I asked you to name them,” replied Sharpton.

“I’m not going to participate in the attempt to make this all about race,” said Pierson. “It is ridiculous. How many black people were in Abraham Lincoln’s West Wing?”

“Is Abraham Lincoln a racist because he didn’t have a black person in his White House? This is insane. This is an insane discussion,” added Pierson.

“You can’t name a black in the West Wing because we can’t find one, Katrina,” responded Sharpton. “I pity you. I’d sympathize with you, but telling me you applied, and other people? Come on. It’s unthinkable in the 21st century that even a spokesperson for President Trump can’t name a black in the West Wing.”

There was not, technically a “west wing” staff under Abraham Lincoln, That did not start in its modern configuration until the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

View the exchange below:

Image via screen capture from video source.

Donald trump took to his “bully pulpit” on Twitter to speak out about voter fraud.

All levels of government and Law Enforcement are watching carefully for VOTER FRAUD, including during EARLY VOTING. Cheat at your own peril. Violators will be subject to maximum penalties, both civil and criminal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2018

This echoes statements made by the president prior to the 2016 election, and is stoking fears that he is attempting to pave the way to declare the elections in question if they do not go his way.

After the 2016 race, Trump claimed that voter fraud affected the outcome, stating that he actually won the popular vote, “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”

The president’s assertion led to a Presidential Commission on Election Integrity in 2017, led by Kris Kobach. Kobach is now running for Governor in Kansas.

The commission was disbanded in January of this year, unable to prove the president’s assertions.

Voter fraud, in spite of claims by Trump, has not shown itself to be an issue of significance. Voter suppression, however, is a growing issue.

Officials in many states and localities have sought to curtail voting rights, most notably Brian Kemp, the Secretary of State for Georgia, who has purged over 300,000 votes from the state’s rolls in a move viewed by many as voter suppression.

Kemp is running for Governor in Georgia, and is in a tight race against opponent Stacey Abrams.

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license