White House Accepts ‘Political Reality’ of Assad’s Grip on Power in Syria<br />During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump said that he while he did not like Mr. Assad, he was glad the Syrian leader was "killing ISIS."<br />Since taking office, however, Mr. Trump has shied away from forging a military alliance in Syria with Russia, let alone with Mr. Assad.<br />By MICHAEL R. GORDONMARCH 31, 2017<br />WASHINGTON — President Trump has abandoned the goal of pressing President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to leave power, marking a sharp departure from the Middle East policy<br />that guided the Obama administration for more than five years, the White House said on Friday.<br />And while the Obama administration was not prepared to use airpower to protect the Syrian opposition, Russia began<br />to send its warplanes to Syria in September 2015 to shore up the Assad government and help it reclaim lost ground.<br />Obama said that We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way,<br />Sean Spicer said that With respect to Assad, there is a political reality that we have to accept,
