President Donald Trump announced Dec. 19, 2018, that the 2,000 U.S. troopsin Syria would be returning home after being in Syria since 2015, a decision that has left many with mixed feelings about the decision.

Trump’s ruling has angered many of his top supporters in Congress, including Republican Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina. The New York Times reported that Graham said the decision has “rattled the world.”

This decision shouldn’t be as surprising as it’s made out to be, since Trump has stated for quite some time that he’s wanted to pull the troops from the conflict. Trump has been firm on his position that the mission for military presence in Syria was to destroy the Islamic presence in Syria.

“We have won. We’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly,” Trump said in a video announcement. “We’ve taken back the land and now it’s time for our troops to come back home.”

The United States has also bombed Syria for the Syrian government’s alleged chemical attacks on its civilians. Citing that this goes against international law, the U.S has retaliated against the Syrian government and has dropped missiles on a Syrian airbase.

The safety of troops and federal funding must be taken into account when talking about pulling troops from Syria. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed four Americans and injured three at a restaurant the group was visiting, according to the Washington Post. The United States has also given nearly $8 billion in humanitarian assistance to Syria since the conflict began in 2011, said the Atlantic.

Even if America is known as the “watch dog of democracy,” at some point we have to return home and focus on our own country. Currently, the United States is facing many tough challenges within its own borders that need to be addressed before we look to other places. We have a border wall debate, a government shutdown, a nation that’s heavily divided between the left and right and a media that’s been compromised to those who do not wish to speak the truth, but to push a political agenda.

We are not going to be successful at turning Middle Eastern countries democratic. They have their own ideologies and religions and worldviews that make them unique, just as the United States has its own. We protect those who cannot protect themselves, but we must also make sure we’re taking care of our own people first.

We are not going to be successful at eliminating every threat when it comes to the Middle East, or anywhere else for that matter. But when the time comes that the United States needs to step in and help, it can. But let others help as well. It’s not up to just us.

We are not going to be successful at everything we set out to do, but what we can be successful at is keeping our troops safe. We can be successful at funneling our funds back into our country instead of a war with no end in sight. But most importantly, we can be successful at putting Americans first — just as it should be.