Erdoğan's longing for Trump is ending

Erdoğan finally secured the appointment he'd been waiting for months and will be received by Trump at the White House on September 25th. Özgür Özel also recently announced that Trump, the heir apparent, was hosted in Istanbul. The press reported that the purchase of 250 Boeing aircraft and the purchase of F-16s and F-35s would also be on the agenda at the September 25th summit.

In reality, all of this is Turkey's price tag for the tariffs Donald Trump has imposed on all countries in trade talks. The format is as follows: First, Trump, the son, travels to the country where he will soon meet with his father, continuing negotiations on the family's investments, hotels, golf courses, funds to be poured into cryptocurrencies, and so on. On the eve of the main government-to-government negotiations, he extracts concessions on commercial agreements that will enrich his own family. Thus, he paves the way for the relevant head of government to present a positive image to Trump.

It may be recalled that Trump made his first international trip of his second term to the Gulf monarchies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE , and Qatar in May 2025. It was emphasized that the trip had no geopolitical agenda, and it was understood that these countries would not even bring up the genocide being carried out against their fellow Muslims in Gaza.

Elon Musk, who was on good terms with Trump at the time, and other billionaire business leaders were also in attendance. As a preliminary step, Trump Jr. had visited the UAE and Qatar the previous week to discuss the family's real estate and cryptocurrency ventures. It was subsequently announced that an investment agreement had been reached for a super-luxury hotel and tower in Dubai and a golf course in Doha.

We already know that the main point that distinguishes Trump from previous presidents is that he mobilizes his office and the power of the United States for his own enrichment, without any need to hide it.

During the trip in question, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to invest $600 billion in the US over four years, while the UAE pledged to invest $1.4 trillion over 10 years.

Boeing sales a staple of trade talks

Deals involving large-scale weapons and aircraft purchases were also finalized during the Gulf trip. Qatar is reported to have ordered 210 Boeing aircraft, while Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are also reportedly planning to purchase numerous aircraft.

In recent months, during South Korean President Jae Myung's visit to Washington, it was announced that Korean Air would purchase 103 Boeing aircraft for $3.2 billion, and a $13.7 billion order was placed with GE Aerospace. It's noteworthy that almost all bilateral trade agreements in the US include a Boeing aircraft purchase. This month, Japan ordered 100 jets, Indonesia 50, while Malaysia and Cambodia announced plans for similar aircraft purchases. The UK has also not hesitated to place a $10 billion Boeing order.

So, what's the wisdom behind Trump's trade negotiations always involving a Boeing purchase? First of all, news of the sale of 50 or 100 US aircraft creates a positive public impression. Boeing is a brand that provides thousands of jobs and, together with its subsidiary industries, contributes significantly to employment. The global aircraft market is already dominated by Boeing in the US and Airbus in the EU. There's no debate within the recipient countries that this will undermine domestic production, such as in automotive, steel, or rice production in Japan. Because deliveries and payments will be spread over many years, even large orders don't pose a threat to recipient countries, requiring them to make large initial cash outflows.

ERDOĞAN'S DEEP ACCUMULATION OF AUTHORITARIANISM

However, it shouldn't be expected that the meetings between Trump and Erdoğan will be limited to business matters. It's long been known that Trump enjoys chemistry with authoritarian leaders like Erdoğan and Putin, and that he closely monitors their actions to establish his own repressive regime. He will likely receive briefings from Erdoğan on topics such as how he suppresses the media, what grounds are used to imprison dissidents for insulting the president, how he neutralized the independent judiciary and subjugated it, and what solutions you've devised to prevent demonstrations and marches in the country. He will likely seek the valuable advice of a more experienced and experienced authoritarian president.

You're already witnessing the process unfolding in our country firsthand; there's no need to rehash it. At this point, let's take a look at the similar environment recently unfolding in the US and compare it with our live observations in Türkiye.

NEW MCCARTHYISM IN THE USA

Using the assassination of far-right Trump militant Charlie Kirk as an excuse, the Trump administration's aggression against dissidents has intensified. Vice President Vance declared, "We will pursue civil society networks that incite and encourage violence." Trump then declared, "We will ban Anti-Fa, a terrorist organization." However, Anti-Fa is short for anti-fascist and represents a reaction against fascism and protests against racist delusions. It has no central structure, no official organization, and no fixed address.

Over the weekend, the British financial newspaper Financial Times expressed its outrage at the circulating conspiracy theories, asking, "Is America entering a new McCarthyist era?" Trump accuses the usual suspect, George Soros, of financing all leftists. McCarthy, as he is known, emerged in the 1950s with claims of a "red scare." During this wave, screenwriters and actors in Hollywood suspected of being communists were blacklisted, and the Rosenbergs were executed on charges of being Russian spies. The Financial Times expresses its concern by stating, "McCarthy was, after all, a senator from Wisconsin. But this time, it's a US president making baseless claims."

Trump's targets aren't just leftists; they're immigrants, liberal organizations, the media, members of the trans community, and all diversity, equality, and inclusion programs, abbreviated as DEI. Those seen as enemies are labeled "woke" by the American far-right, effectively condemning them.

As is well known, one of Trump's hallmarks is his ability to reduce everything to money, recognizing no value other than the greenback. He feels entitled to indiscriminately fine those who disobey his ideology. He first filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper that was originally right-leaning but criticized the high tariffs as contrary to neoliberalism. He then raised the price to $15 billion against the New York Times, a liberal newspaper (or, in American jargon, leftist).

From the very beginning, the US has been imposing fines on its most elite universities, which have been the scene of protests against Israel's genocide in Gaza, for alleged anti-Semitic activities. Universities like Columbia and Brown were forced to pay these fines out of fear. The same allegation led to the University of California having $300 million in medical and scientific research funding cut, and then a further $1 billion fine was demanded. This represents a bill twice as heavy as the $500 million demanded from Harvard.

In early September, an investigation was launched into 160 academics at the University of California, one of the birthplaces of the 1960s student movement, on charges of anti-Semitism. Among them is renowned philosophy professor Judith Butler, who is also of Jewish descent.

In short, as we've emphasized before, the US is rapidly progressing toward becoming a "great Turkey." Trump has much to learn from the "masterclass" of Turkish President Erdoğan, who, over the past 22 years, has made significant strides in establishing a new regime and dismantling the institutions of the Republic.