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Trump To Hit The Links With Tiger After Turkey Call

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WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) - Looks like no Black Friday shopping for President Donald Trump.

The president started his morning with a call to Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

During the call, Erdogan said they discussed the Syrian crisis and other regional issues during their phone call Friday, and that they also discussed ties between Turkey and the United States.

Their talk came days after Erdogan attended a trilateral meeting with the Russian and Iranian leaders in Sochi, Russia, to promote a peaceful settlement in Syria. Relations between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have soured over a number of issues, including U.S. support to Syrian Kurdish fighters which Ankara considers to be terrorists because of their links to outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey.

The leaders also called on other countries to provide humanitarian aid, clear Syrian territory of mines and restore vital infrastructure destroyed by the war.

Trump railed during his campaign about the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq but has boasted about progress in recent months under his watch.

Trump said in a tweet that he'll "get it all done, but what a mistake, in lives and dollars to be there in the first place!"

It's unclear exactly which countries he's referring to, but Trump has cited $6 trillion in the past to assess U.S. spending on conflicts in the Middle East.

Fact checkers have found that number to be only partially accurate since it falls on the high end of analysts' estimates and includes future medical care and disability benefits and nation-building costs.

In an early morning tweeted, Mr. Trump said after the call he would be "heading over to Trump National Golf Club, Jupiter, to play golf (quickly) with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson. Then back to Mar-a-Lago for talks on bringing even more jobs and companies back to the USA!"

In a break from custom, the Trump White House rarely discloses when the president is golfing, let alone whom he golfs with during frequent trips to courses he owns in Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Trump and his aides often appear concerned about the perception that he is vacationing during his trips away from the White House, insisting that he is partaking in high-level meetings and making calls while staying in Bedminister, New Jersey, or at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.

Wood plans to return to competitive play next week after his most recent back surgery sidelined him for seven months.

Also on Friday, President Trump continued to rail against football players who kneel during the National Anthem to protest racism and police brutality.

Trump's tweet was in response to one from his social media chief, Dan Scavino.

Scavino had shared a Breitbart News story about New York Giants player Olivier Vernon taking the knee during the anthem on Thanksgiving ahead of a game against the Redskins.

The website is run by Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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