"Congratulations to our great military men and women for representing the United States, and the world, so well in the Syria attack," Trump tweeted.Trump on Thursday authorized a launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the base in response to a chemical attack believed to be carried out by Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this week.

The president said that it is in the "vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons."

Some critics, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), have criticized the airstrikes as inappropriate, while others maintained that a military operation agains the Assad regime was long overdue.