President Donald Trump will host Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Friday, a White House official told POLITICO, as the administration continues to make Middle East diplomacy a central tenet of its foreign policy prospectus.
The planned visit is just the latest significant step in the administration’s effort to shore up relations with Damascus, nearly one year after al-Sharaa’s forces toppled the authoritarian government of Bashar Assad last December. Reports of the meeting first emerged Saturday afternoon.
It’s a remarkable turn for al-Sharaa, a former Islamist rebel.
Trump has sought to ease the new government’s transition. He became the first U.S. president to meet with a Syrian leader in 25 years when the two connected for a May sitdown in Saudi Arabia. Trump pushed al-Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel, and praised him later on Air Force One.
“Young, attractive guy, tough guy,” Trump told reporters. “Strong past, very strong past — fighter. He’s got a real shot at holding it together.”
In late June, he signed an executive order revoking most American sanctions against Syria, which earned him rare praise from Democrats.
And in early July, the State Department rescinded the foreign terrorist organization declaration for the al-Nusrah Front, the group headed by al-Sharaa, which was once part of the al Qaeda network.
