President Donald Trump pushed back hard on Monday against criticism of a potential F-35 sale to Turkey, telling reporter...

President Donald Trump pushed back hard on Monday against criticism of a potential F-35 sale to Turkey, telling reporters that no one gets to dictate his arms decisions. The statement came during a press exchange tied to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the US, as Netanyahu had openly opposed the sale to Ankara. Trump said Turkey has been a "great ally," framing the pushback as a matter of presidential authority rather than policy. The comment was short but direct, and it landed while the F-35 debate in Washington is very much unresolved. The timing matters because the State Department sent a formal letter to Congress just days earlier confirming that Turkey has not met the legal requirements for an F-35 transfer under US law. That letter was addressed to Democratic Congressman Wesley Bell, who had requested a White House response on US-Turkey relations, CAATSA sanctions, the F-35 program, and Turkey's ties to Hamas. The White House delegated the response to the State Department, which stated clearly that American policy remains anchored in Section 231 of CAATSA, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and Section 1245 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Under those provisions, any transfer of F-35 jets to Turkey requires full compliance with all conditions set by American law. Turkey was originally removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after it purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system, triggering the CAATSA sanctions framework. So as of now, Trump is asserting his personal authority on the question while his own State Department is telling Congress the legal bar has not been cleared. That contradiction is sitting at the center of the F-35 debate going into this week. #Turkey #F35 #NATO