US President Donald Trump firmly rejected Israel's objections to the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. Speaking to reporters during a flight from Washington to Michigan, Trump responded to a question reminding him that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the sale.

"Turkey has been a great ally for me. He (President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) is my friend. Nobody can tell me who we should or shouldn't sell to. Turkey is a great ally of ours."
Trump noted that he is aware of the problems between Turkey and Israel, and said his visit to Ankara went very well. Continuing his praise for Turkey, the US President said, "Turkey is a wonderful and very powerful country. They have a magnificent army, a very large and strong army. They have a lot of great equipment."