Kassem Eid survived the 2013 chemical attack in Syria. As someone who has seen the government’s horror firsthand, he is one of many Syrians who are overjoyed at the Trump administration’s response to the most recent chemical attack. During an interview with CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Friday, he could not contain his gratitude for Trump’s aggressive and long overdue response to the Assad regime.
“I cried out of joy. I thanked God. I don’t know. I was overwhelmed. We’ve been asking for protection. We’ve been asking for consequences for more than six years I cried out of joy. I thanked god. I don’t know. I was overwhelmed. We’ve been asking for protection. We’ve been asking for consequences for more than six years and today for the first time it happened, for the very first time we see Assad held accountable just for once, held accountable for his crimes against humanity. I was overwhelmed. I felt grateful for President Trump. I felt grateful for the United States.”
Baldwin, skeptical of Eid’s praise for Trump’s foreign policy, pressed her guest for his thoughts on Trump’s temporary travel ban on Syrian refugees. Instead, he exposed the hypocrisy of those who are quick to criticize the president, but slow to stand in solidarity with the Syrian people. Where were these verbal warriors, he wondered, when President Obama failed to act after the 2013 attack? His “red line” threat against Assad turned out to be empty.
“With all due respect, with all due respect, I didn’t see each and every person who was demonstrating after the travel ban. I didn’t see you three days ago when people were gassed to death, when civilians were gassed to death. I didn’t see you in 2013 when 1,400 people were gassed to death. I didn’t see you raising your voice against President Obama’s inaction in Syria that led us refugees, that made us refugees get kicked out of Syria. If you really care about refugees, if you really care about helping us, please, help us stay in our in our country.”
Eid again commended Trump for the airstrike and urged him to take more action so that Assad’s power can be eclipsed and Syrians can stay in their country.
