Images of a Trump first: See the president and first lady surprise troops in Iraq the day after Christmas

Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

U.S. President Trump, traveling with the first lady, meets political and military leaders and makes a policy speech to U.S. troops in an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq

• President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump made a surprise visit to US troops in Iraq on Wednesday - a first after nearly two years in office.
• The visit to the al-Asad air base just west of Baghdad, comes a day after Christmas and a week after major military shake-ups within the Trump administration.
• Trump, despite claiming that he has done more for the military than other presidents, has been criticized for not only his policies, but also for not visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day this year.
• The Trumps will make two stops in Iraq visiting over 5,000 troops, according to The New York Times.
• See photos of the Trumps' visit below.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made a surprise visit to US troops in Iraq on Wednesday - a first after nearly two years in office.

The visit to the al-Asad air base just west of Baghdad, comes a day after Christmas and a week after major military shake-ups within the Trump administration.

One week ago, Trump announced he was pulling roughly 2,000 US troops out of Syria. The following day Secretary of Defense James Mattis, a retired four star Marine Corps general, resigned from his post over the decision with a scathing letter, rebuking much of Trump's "America First" foreign policy.

It was also reported last week that Trump would withdraw half of the 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan. On Saturday, Brett McGurk, the US envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIS, who was reportedly scheduled to retire in February, resigned early saying that he could not execute Trump's Syria strategy.

Trump, despite claiming that he has done more for the military than other presidents, has been criticized for not only his policies (even by lawmakers who are often allies), but also for not visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted about the president's visit.

"President Trump and the First Lady traveled to Iraq late on Christmas night to visit with our troops and Senior Military leadership to thank them for their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas," Sanders said.

The Trumps will make two stops in Iraq visiting over 5,000 troops, according to The New York Times. See photos of the visit below: