President Trump, First Lady make unannounced trip to visit troops in Iraq

President Donald Trump and the First Lady made an unannounced trip to Iraq to visit American troops.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a photo of the president and the First Lady at Al Asad Air Base.

The president took a photo with the Georgia National Guardsmen of the 201st Regional Support Group currently deployed in Iraq.

Sanders said Trump thanked the troops and senior military leadership "for their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas."

The trip to Iraq is the first of his term.

Trump first visited with troops overseas in Italy in May 2017, roughly four months after taking office.

His visit Wednesday, the day after Christmas, continues a long tradition of presidents visiting with service members at home or abroad during the holiday season. On Christmas Day, Trump participated in a video call with service members serving across the country and overseas during the holidays.

Trump’s visit comes after the president’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria surprised Washington, blindsiding lawmakers, members of the administration and American allies across the world and on the ground fighting Islamic State in Syria.

On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was planning to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, cutting the current force of 14,000 service members to 7,000. Those troops could return home by the end of spring, an American official told ABC News.

Cox Media Group