Trump And First Lady Make Secret Trip To Iraq To Visit U.S. Troops
The president visited U.S. forces that are in Iraq as part of the fight against ISIS amid criticism of a sudden decision to pull troops from Syria. It's his first such trip since taking office.
Updated at 3:11 p.m. ET
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to Iraq to visit U.S. troops the day after Christmas, a surprise trip the president had been hinting at for some time.
The Trumps' arrival at Al Asad Air Base, in western Iraq, followed the president's orders to pull back on U.S. troop deployments that have come under intense scrutiny.
The trip was announced on Twitter by press secretary Sarah Sanders. It's the president's first such trip since taking office nearly two years ago.
The president and the first lady spent about three hours at Al Asad. Trump delivered a speech and defended his decision to withdraw American forces
