US President Donald Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House last night — the man once known as Abu Muhammad al-Joulani, former leader of the terrorist group “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch.
The closed-door meeting marks a major change in Washington’s policy toward Damascus after decades of sanctions and hostility. Al-Sharaa, who led the campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, is the first Syrian president to visit the White House since Syria’s independence in 1946. Only a year ago, he was wanted by the US with a $10 million bounty on his head — now presented by Trump as a potential partner for rebuilding Syria and advancing regional stability.
Trump wrote on X: “Al-Sharaa’s difficult past will be an asset in rebuilding Syria. We’ve all faced hard times — only those who survived them can build a better future.”
Days before the visit, Damascus announced it was joining the “International Coalition Against ISIS.” Al-Sharaa pledged cooperation with the US on intelligence sharing and preventing the resurgence of terrorist networks.