Trump Meets Former Al-Qaeda Commander Turned Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at White House

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, the first visit by a Syrian leader to Washington in the country’s history.

The talks capped an eventful year for al-Sharaa, 43, a former al-Qaeda commander who toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December and has since attempted to portray himself as a unifying, pragmatic ruler. In preparation for the meeting the United States removed al-Sharaa from its global terrorist list just days before. He arrived in Washington with little ceremony, entering through a side door without the traditional media fanfare that typically accompanies state visits.

In post-meeting comments at the Oval Office, Trump called al-Sharaa a “strong leader” and said the United States would “do everything we can to make Syria successful.” Regarding al-Sharaa’s past, Trump said, “We’ve all had rough pasts, but if you didn’t have a rough past, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

Following the meeting, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a 180-day suspension of enforcement of the 2019 Caesar Act, sanctions that had targeted Syria and the Assad regime for human rights abuses. Officials said the move is meant to provide “compliance clarity” for investors as Washington considers broader relief measures.

In a Truth Social post afterwards, Trump called the meeting “an honor,” describing al-Sharaa as “a major advocate for peace in the Middle East.” He wrote: “Everyone is talking about the Great Miracle that is taking place in the Middle East. Having a stable and successful Syria is very important to all countries in the region.”

Al-Sharaa said his talks with Trump lasted nearly two hours and were “amazing.” He told Fox News that the two discussed “the present and the future,” not his terrorist past. “I think that’s a matter of the past. We didn’t talk about it,” he said. When asked about the 9/11 attacks, al-Sharaa replied, “I was 19 years old. I had no authority to make decisions and no connection to it. We mourn every civilian killed.”

The Syrian leader also said that Trump gave him a red “MAGA” cap as a gift, saying he would take it back to Damascus “as a symbol of friendship,” and that both sides discussed future U.S. investments in Syrian gas production. U.S. and Syrian officials also finalized an agreement for Syria to join the 90-nation global coalition against the Islamic State group.

Syria’s information minister, Hamza al-Mustafa, later announced that Washington had approved the reopening of the Syrian embassy in the U.S. capital after more than a decade, describing it as part of a “political cooperation statement” supporting regional stability.

Before the summit, two Islamic State plots to assassinate al-Sharaa were reportedly foiled by Syrian security forces. The interior ministry said over the weekend that it had arrested more than seventy suspects in a nationwide sweep targeting Islamic State cells.

Al-Sharaa, who was once known by his nom de guerre “Abu Mohammed al-Golani,” is trying to demonstrate himself as a partner in the region. “For sixty years, Syria was isolated from the world,” he said. “This is the first time a Syrian president visits the White House. The goal is for Syria to no longer be seen as a threat, but as a country where the United States can invest significantly.”