WASHINGTON — The only reason President Donald Trump is in Ankara, Turkey, for the NATO summit is his friendship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. That’s according to the president himself, who told reporters ahead of his visit, “If the summit was not taking place in Türkiye, I don’t think I would have gone to it. I’m going out of respect to President Erdoğan.” The president is deeply frustrated with NATO and has criticized NATO for years, most notably since the war with Iran began, repeatedly calling out United States allies who wouldn’t support the operation against Iran. Erdoğan, meanwhile, has consistently delivered on what Trump has asked for, and the president remains grateful. “I was very disappointed with NATO, and frankly, if it weren’t held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended,” Trump said during a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan on Tuesday. “I felt I had to attend because of the fact that, you know, I know he’s gone all out.” Erdoğan has been an “incredible partner in the region,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told The Daily Wire on Tuesday, describing the two leaders as having a “great relationship.” Most recently, Trump says he personally called Erdoğan and asked him to stay out of the Iran war amid rumors that Turkey would assist Iran, given that Erdoğan is openly against Israel. Erdoğan agreed to Trump’s request, keeping Turkey neutral throughout the conflict despite regional pressure.  “We didn’t need any help at all,” Trump said of the matter on Tuesday, “And in a way, I was testing people, I was testing to see whether or not they’d be there, because I’ve long said that we helped them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for us. And Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down, and it’s okay, but you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them.” U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a state arrival ceremony at the Bestepe Presidential Complex for the annual NATO Summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Erdoğan also agreed to huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) procurement contracts with the United States as a business favor to President Trump in 2025, a move seen as an effort to curry favor with Trump and his new administration. The Turkish leader also pushed European and NATO allies to buy LNG in order to reduce trade deficits.  Trump and Erdoğan came to an agreement during Trump’s first term in office to release Pastor Andrew Brunson from captivity in Turkey — Brunson, an American evangelical pastor, had been accused of spying and terrorism and was detained in Turkey until Trump successfully negotiated his release in 2018. Trump specifically brought this up on Tuesday, noting that he was grateful for Brunson’s release. And in 2019, Erdoğan twice conceded to requests from Trump: he backed off his threat to veto NATO’s plans to defend the Baltic states and Poland and allowed NATO’s defense plans to move forward after meeting privately with Trump. Erdoğan similarly fulfilled Trump’s request for Turkey to take over the U.S fight against ISIS in northern Syria. Trump is now considering approving a sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. The sale would likely prove contentious since Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after the country purchased Russian S-400 air defense systems. That move prompted concerns that Russia would have access to sensitive information about the U.S. fighter jet. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that the United States should not sell the jets to Turkey, saying that it would “upset the power balance” in the Middle East. “I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East,”  Netanyahu said on Fox & Friends. Erdoğan reminded reporters of President Trump’s promise on Tuesday. “I believe that President Trump also has made a promise on this separately, and during the meeting of the leaders’ summit, we do hope that the promise that we have previously received is going to be productively tested towards the future. President Trump has always been a man of his word, and hopefully with respect to the F-35.” During Tuesday’s bilateral, Trump said he has “good chemistry” with Erdoğan, adding, “we’ve had a very special relationship.” He noted that the two leaders would be discussing trade, the military, and Iran, noting of the F-35s, “It’s a decision we’re going to make. It’s a very good relationship.” “Because of the relationship that we have, it’s all gone very well,” he added, “I want to say I have a lot of respect for the president.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup showed a glimpse of what the future could hold for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT), but the work of building on that success is only beginning.   Hosting the World Cup brought unprecedented attention to soccer in the United States. Although the Americans were eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16, the tournament represented a significant step forward for Team USA. The Americans set several team records, scoring 11 goals in four matches and becoming the first U.S. men’s team to win three games at a single World Cup. Their 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the team’s first knockout-stage win since 2002.  The round of 16 match against Belgium drew nearly 67,000 fans to Seattle’s Lumen Field, reflecting the tournament’s popularity in the United States. As a co-host, the United States experienced packed stadiums and heightened interest.  Much of the roster that fueled the U.S. World Cup run is expected to remain intact. Christian Pulisic, 27, and Folarin Balogun, 25, are expected to remain the team’s attacking leaders. Balogun scored three goals during his first World Cup with the United States and is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League clubs.  Midfielder Malik Tillman, 24, strengthened his case for a long-term role after scoring two impressive free kicks in the tournament. Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are also expected to remain central figures in midfield. Most of the other spots are up for grabs. Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessmann, and Diego Luna are expected to compete for roster spots the next time head coach Mauricio Pochettino picks his squad. More youth players are expected to push for the USMNT as well, with Zavier Gozo, Peyton Miller, and Adri Mehmeti all impressing in Major League Soccer. Unlike 2026, when the United States qualified automatically as a host nation, the Americans will earn a place in the 2030 World Cup through the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) qualifying.  The next chapter for the USMNT begins with World Cup qualifying, where the Americans will have to prove the momentum generated by their 2026 World Cup run was more than a one-tournament surge.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday at the NATO summit in Ankara that he is considering allowing Turkey to purchase American-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, a move that would reverse a ban imposed during his first administration after Ankara acquired a Russian missile defense system. “We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey’s been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” Trump said of the NATO ally. “So, it’s something, certainly, we would consider. It’s a great plane, it’s the best, currently the best plane by far, and it’s certainly something we will consider.” The comments mark a dramatic shift after Trump’s own first administration removed Turkey from the multinational F-35 program in 2019 over Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. U.S. officials warned at the time that operating the Russian system alongside the stealth fighter could expose sensitive information about the aircraft’s capabilities to Moscow. Trump also said his administration is working to lift sanctions imposed during his first term over Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 system. “I can tell you we’re going to take the sanctions off,” Trump said. “It’s time.” In 2020, Congress passed a law prohibiting the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey unless the administration certifies that Turkey no longer possesses the S-400 system. That same year, the Trump administration imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries and several senior officials. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Turkey’s decision endangered U.S. military technology, provided substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector, and ultimately led to Turkey’s removal from the F-35 partnership. The White House similarly argued in a July 2019 statement that the F-35 “cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities.” Under the second Trump administration, U.S. and Turkish officials have spent months exploring ways to satisfy legal requirements while allowing Ankara to return to the program. According to reports, one proposal would involve transferring the S-400 systems to a third party, while other options include partially dismantling the system or relocating it to a U.S.-controlled facility in Turkey.  Although some of the missile systems reportedly remain in their original shipping containers, no final agreement has been reached, according to The New York Times. The issue has been under active review inside the Trump administration. During an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month, Trump suggested he hoped to deliver Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “gift” that would make him “very happy.” Vice President JD Vance later said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was reviewing whether legal conditions required under U.S. law could be met before any sale proceeds. Trump added, “We will work it out.” Congressional restrictions remain in place. Under the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense Department is prohibited from transferring F-35s to Turkey while the country possesses the S-400 system. Six Turkish-owned F-35 aircraft remain in storage in the United States, while approximately $1.7 billion that Turkey had previously paid for the program has not been returned, according to a Congressional Research Service report. During Erdogan’s White House visit last year — his first in roughly six years — Trump suggested he would consider lifting sanctions and allowing Turkey to reenter the F-35 program if Ankara stopped purchasing Russian oil. “I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine,” Trump said. According to Reuters, Turkey later sought to reduce its reliance on Russian energy by pursuing additional oil imports from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other suppliers in late 2025. Trump’s comments came during his visit to Ankara for the NATO summit, which he said he nearly skipped because of his frustrations with the alliance. “I was very disappointed with NATO,” Trump said. “Frankly, if it weren’t held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended.” Trump again criticized European allies for what he said was an unequal burden-sharing arrangement, arguing the United States has spent “hundreds of billions of dollars” defending allies that have not reciprocated U.S. support — especially during the recent conflict with Iran.  At last year’s NATO summit in The Hague, most alliance members agreed to a new goal of spending 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related needs by 2035. Under the plan, at least 3.5% would go toward core military capabilities, while up to 1.5% could be spent on defense-related infrastructure, cybersecurity, resilience, and industrial capacity.  The prospect of restoring Turkey’s access to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 has also alarmed Israel. In addition to Ankara’s increasingly hostile rhetoric toward the Jewish state, Erdogan has long backed the Muslim Brotherhood and provided refuge to many of its leaders after the group was ousted from power in Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he has repeatedly urged Trump not to move forward with the sale, warned that Erdogan “is not exactly a model ally of the United States” and argued the aircraft would upset the regional military balance. “This is not a force for peace and stability,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday. “When you give them that power, you’re going to see aggression in its wake.”

The America haters are on the move. Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, an immigrant to this country who despises America, truly hates it. He decided that on July 4, he would give an address about how America is trash, and the only reason that America is good is because of people like him. He was speaking from George Washington’s desk. Washington must have been spinning in his grave so fast we could use him to bore a tunnel to China. Mamdani said of immigrants to America long ago: When those passengers lifted their heads to glimpse what lies just beyond the waves, what did they see? They saw land, lush and teeming with life. They saw men waiting at the docks to take them into bondage. Notice the description of America. People who were coming here were going to be brought into bondage. The reality is that Mamdani despises this country. He says that the story of America is a story of the powerful crushing the powerless. The idea is that America’s history, the way we were taught it, is wrong. The Howard Zinn leftist history, that America is actually evil, is correct. He continued: The powerful have always known their answer. America, in their view, is an arena of supremacy, where only a select few are allowed freedom, where not all are created equal. America, if you ask them, becomes less the more people it welcomes. America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin. The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. You should be grateful for being here. All of us should be grateful for being here. That has nothing to do with the shade of your skin. If you were truly grateful to be here, you’d know what made America great, and then you would be grateful for that. America, Mamdani says, is a horrible place filled with hunger and evil and exploitation and injustice. And this schmuck is speaking on behalf of America? More Mamdani: As we mark 250 years, what do we see? We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions. We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world — one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more. We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections.  We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans. We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with calloused, dirt-streaked hands — those who toil on factory floors and chisel into stone — and we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few.   He’s a communist. His idea is that somehow Elon Musk is a trillionaire because kids are starving at night, or that the story of America is a battle between the capitalist monopolists and the people with hard, calloused hands. Has anyone had softer hands than Zohran Mamdani? I’m not sure there’s a human being on planet Earth with softer hands than Mamdani. Forget about hard labor or physical toil using your hands. The dude can’t even bench-press 135 pounds. He’s the most silver-spoon beneficiary of America; he’s an immigrant, and he’s deeply ungrateful to America. The way that Mamdani decided to celebrate July 4 was to talk about how much America sucks. He should look in the mirror.

Embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is reportedly refusing to step aside unless Democrats let him choose his replacement.  The New York Post, citing a source close to the campaign, reported Tuesday that Platner, who has been accused of rape, wants to handpick his successor and is insisting the replacement align with his anti-Israel and left-wing views.  Over the past 24 hours, Democrats and leftists have called on Platner to drop out of the race.  “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said Tuesday.  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would not dedicate financial resources to the election if Platner is the nominee. “The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot,” Schumer said in a statement with fellow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).  For now, Platner remains in control of his political future. In June, he decisively won the Democratic nomination with more than 70% of the vote. Maine Democrats have until July 13 to replace him on the ballot, leaving the party just days to settle on a new nominee to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. “This vibes to me like a play from Bernie Sanders to slide in Troy Jackson,” another source told The Post.  Jackson, the leading replacement for Platner, has also been hit with assault allegations, The Daily Wire previously reported.  The DSA-affiliated Maine politician was also accused of physical assault on Tuesday by the political organization Progressive Victory, which works with left-wing politicians and influencers to organize grassroots support for leftist causes. “Troy Jackson in a heated disagreement struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her. There are many witnesses and it appears this is a widespread open secret within Maine politics and not an isolated incident,” said Progressive Victory in a social media post.   The group detailed “troubling information” it had received about Jackson. “In our discussions we have received troubling information about not only Jackson’s behavior, but the behavior of many prominent Maine Democrats toward women more broadly,” the organization wrote. “Both as a result of the credibility of the sources and in the interest of not seeing our movement make the same mistake twice, we are choosing to share some of this now.” Jackson has yet to comment on the allegations but has already launched an exploratory committee to potentially replace his friend, Platner, on the ballot, according to FEC filings. “This is a very, very serious allegation,” Jackson said of the accusations against Platner. “This is something I never considered, but if Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him.”