From al-Qaeda to the White House: Trump hosts Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa in landmark meeting

United States President Donald Trump welcomed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House on Monday, marking one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern geopolitics, from a former al-Qaeda commander to a head of state shaking hands in Washington.

The meeting came as the US Treasury announced a six-month extension of sanctions relief for Damascus under the Caesar Act, the clearest sign yet that Washington is ready to restore ties with the new Syrian leadership.

Al-Sharaa, 43, who overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December, became the first Syrian president to visit the White House since the country gained independence in 1946. The two leaders, according to the Syrian presidency, discussed “ways to strengthen and develop bilateral relations” and touched on several regional security issues.

Trump, who hosted the meeting privately, later praised his guest.

“He comes from a very tough place, and he’s a tough guy. I like him,” he said. “We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East. We have peace now in the Middle East – the first time that anyone can remember that ever happening.”

The president even brushed aside al-Sharaa’s militant past. “We’ve all had rough pasts,” he added.

Al-Sharaa told Fox News later that his “association with al-Qaeda was a matter of the past” and that Syria is now “a geopolitical ally of Washington, not a threat.”

Still, the White House welcome was muted. There were no cameras, no handshake on the South Lawn, and no joint press event. Al-Sharaa entered through a side door and left quietly, pausing only to wave to a small crowd of Syrian supporters outside the gates.

A US official told AP and AFP that Syria has now formally joined the international coalition against ISIL (ISIS), becoming its 90th member. Washington also plans to allow Syria to reopen its embassy in the US to coordinate on counterterrorism and security issues.

Hours before the meeting, Syrian security officials claimed to have foiled two separate ISIL plots to assassinate al-Sharaa in recent months. The country’s interior ministry said it arrested over 70 suspected ISIL members in nationwide raids.

The Treasury Department framed the sanctions relief as part of Trump’s wider Middle East vision. “Removing US sanctions will support Syria’s efforts to rebuild its economy, provide prosperity for all its citizens … and combat terrorism,” it said, calling the decision part of Trump’s pledge to give Syria “a chance at greatness.”

While Trump can suspend sanctions, their full repeal requires congressional approval. Senator Jeanne Shaheen has proposed a clean repeal bill, while Senator Lindsey Graham wants conditions attached.

For now, the ex-fighter who once commanded a branch of al-Qaeda has stood on the White House carpet, a visual metaphor for the kind of realpolitik that has defined Trump’s foreign policy: transactional, unpredictable, and undeniably historic.