Erdogan tells Turks to buy crumbling lira as Trump turns the screws

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters in Bayburt, Turkey August 10, 2018. Murat Kula/Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan told Turks on Friday to sell their gold and U.S. dollars to support the country's currency which plunged after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated a feud with NATO ally Turkey by doubling tariffs on metals imports.

The Turkish lira has long been falling on worries about Erdogan's influence over monetary policy and worsening relations with the United States.