Trump Considers Selling F-35 to Muslim Country

Donald Trump’s hint that “we will consider” selling F-35s to Turkey pits his personal diplomacy against hard U.S. law, real security risks, and years of bipartisan distrust.

Story Snapshot

Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 over its Russian S-400 missile system.
Federal law now blocks any F-35 transfers to Turkey unless it fully gets rid of the S-400.
Trump is signaling he may reopen F-35 sales, banking on his relationship with Erdogan.
Congress, Israel, and many NATO voices see that as a dangerous gift to a shaky “ally.”

How Turkey Went From Core Partner To Security Problem

Turkey was once a key partner in the F-35 program, helping build about 900 parts for the jet and planning a major fleet of its own. That ended in 2019 when Ankara took delivery of Russia’s S-400 air defense system. The White House said plainly that Turkey’s decision “renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible” and that the jet “cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform.” Pentagon officials began “unwinding” Turkey from the program and ordered all Turkish personnel out by July 31, 2019.

⚡️🇹🇷🇺🇸 — US President Donald Trump is expected to inform Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Ankara that he is ready to restore Turkey's access to the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, — According to The New York Times.

➡️The move would reverse a ban…

— MaxOsint Intel (@maxosintintel) July 7, 2026

The reason was not hurt feelings. It was physics and espionage. The S-400 is built to hunt stealth aircraft. If Russian technicians sit inside Turkey running that system while F-35s fly nearby, they can collect data on the jet’s radar signature and tactics. For American conservatives focused on strong defense, this is common sense: you do not park your most advanced fighter next to Russian sensors and hope they play nice.

The Legal Wall Trump Cannot Pretend Does Not Exist

After the expulsion, Congress did more than complain. Lawmakers locked in strict rules in the 2020 defense bill. Section 1245 says no F-35s may go to Turkey unless it removes all S-400 equipment and personnel and proves it will not buy similar systems again. A policy analysis notes that Turkey “has not met a single one of these conditions.” That means Trump cannot legally wave his hand and ship jets; he would need either Turkish compliance or a change in U.S. law.

On top of that, Turkey’s defense industry still holds F-35 production tooling years after being kicked out, according to reports citing defense archives. That alone worries many security experts. The longer advanced tooling sits in a country that buys Russian gear and bullies its neighbors, the more people fear reverse-engineering or quiet technology leakage. There is no public proof this has already happened, but the risk lines up with basic prudence and long-standing conservative skepticism toward Moscow.

Trump’s Personal Diplomacy Versus American Institutions

Trump has always talked about Turkey as a “very good” partner and called it “not fair” that the U.S. cannot sell F-35s after the S-400 purchase. Reports from Ankara say his close ties with President Erdogan have created “a new atmosphere of cooperation” and the most “fruitful conversations” on F-35s in a decade. Video analyses describe Trump now “very seriously” considering a sale after the six-year ban and floating the idea that the deal could start with six aircraft already built and stored.

Trump, in Ankara: "We don't want to sanction friends." He says he will remove the CAATSA sanctions on Turkey.

CAATSA, the sanctions regime imposed in 2020 alongside Turkey's F-35 expulsion, is the actual legal mechanism blocking both the F-35 readmission and the broader defense…

— The Tectonic (@thetect0nic) July 7, 2026

Here is the tension. American conservative values put law, security, and alliance reliability ahead of personal deals. Congress passed Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act to punish Russian arms sales. It passed Section 1245 to protect F-35 secrets. When a president hints he might bend toward an unreliable partner—with a Russian weapons system still on its soil—that clashes with the very “peace through strength” logic that built these safeguards.

Turkey’s Lobbying, Erdogan’s Claims, And Israel’s Warning

On the other side, Erdogan calls the ban “unfair” and reminds everyone that Turkey has been a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally for decades. Some reports even suggest he is looking for ways to return or offload the S-400 to clear the path back into the program. A legal review explains that the test for lifting the F-35 prohibition is narrow but achievable: Turkey must no longer possess the S-400 and must credibly promise not to buy another. That is not a political opinion; it is a checklist.

The problem is trust. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that selling F-35s to Turkey would “upset the balance of power in the region,” pointing to Erdogan’s harsh anti-Israel rhetoric. Bipartisan U.S. lawmakers have told the State Department that readmitting Turkey would expose U.S. secrets to Russian intelligence and violate both sanction laws and the defense law restrictions. That matches the basic conservative instinct: you do not hand your crown jewels to a partner who plays footsie with your enemies and threatens your closest ally.

Why “We Will Consider It” Should Not Be The End Of The Story

Trump’s comment that “we will consider” selling F-35s to Turkey sounds simple. It is not. Behind that line stand hard statutes, deep technical risks, and allies who would bear the costs if stealth data leaks to Moscow or if Ankara uses advanced jets to bully neighbors. For Trump to stay within the law and protect American power, any deal must start with the S-400’s removal, strict monitoring of Turkish facilities, and real proof that Ankara is choosing the West over Russia.

Until those boxes are checked, selling F-35s to Turkey is not a smart “deal.” It is a gamble with America’s most important fighter and with the security of allies who still trust the United States to act like the adult in the room.