US urges Turkey to strengthen its democracy

The United States greeted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election with little enthusiasm Monday, calling for measures to strengthen the country's democracy.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump had not yet found time to talk to Erdogan, after a win that granted the Turkish leader sweeping new powers.

"We're working to set up a call between the president and the president of Turkey to reaffirm our strong bond," she said.

"We encourage Turkey to take steps to strengthen democracy and continue progress toward resolving issues in the bilateral relationship," Sanders told reporters.