President Barack Obama's plan to arm the Syrian rebels is a "mistake," because it isn't clear exactly who they are and U.S. weapons could end up in the hands of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists, says Donald Trump.
The real estate and entertainment mogul told
"Fox & Friends" that at one point there was a "strong rebel group and they were identifiable" in Syria, but he said that is no longer the case.
"We are arming people, but now we have no idea who they are. They're all splintered up.
"They will eventually probably join ISIS, and they'll have all our weapons," Trump said on Monday. "[Obama] made a mistake. He makes lots of mistakes."
Trump said the funding ISIS brought in from the sale of oil could have been prevented if the U.S. had seized control of Iraq's oil fields. It is estimated the terrorist group draws as much as $6 million per day from the sale of oil on the black market.
"I've been talking about, for years, for years, the oil in Iraq, and they've taken over a lot of that oil. I said keep it, because somebody else will take it over and they won't be our friends," he said. "Now they have the oil, and that's the story. We made it possible for them, because we are very, very stupid."
Trump also weighed in on the lack of media coverage of a report released Sept. 18 that said federal
prosecutors found no connection between the 2013 closure of the George Washington Bridge and Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Trump called it a "big step" and "a very positive thing" for Christie, once considered a frontrunner among GOP contenders for president in 2016.
"It was front-page news all over the place [last year]," he said. "It seems to be out there [now], and certainly it was not covered very big, which is not a very fair situation."
In addition, Trump said he was assisting Republican candidates in 2014 elections by making robo-calls for them, including calls for Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who is currently running for the Senate in New Hampshire.
"They come up to see me and [see] if I can help, and if I like the people, and if I believe in the people, I will take the time and do what I have to do," Trump said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.