Donald Trump receives Syrian President and former jihadist Ahmed al-Charaa at the White House

The two leaders discussed “ways to develop and strengthen” bilateral relations, as well as “several regional and international issues”, according to the Syrian presidency.

It was a first for a Syrian head of state, and a dedication for the former jihadist. United States President Donald Trump receives Syrian President Ahmed al-Charaa at the White House for a carefully staged historic visit, Monday November 10

Syria’s interim president, whose Islamist coalition overthrew longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, arrived at the White House at 11:37 local time. He passed through a side door without protocol usually reserved for foreign heads of state and government, and left the scene at around 1:20 p.m. Journalists were also not invited to the Oval Office in the presence of the two leaders, as is generally the case on official visits.

The US State Department announced a new 180-day pause on sanctions under the Caesar Act, which targets Bashar al-Assad’s government and was suspended in May. The Syrian presidency issued a brief statement indicating that the two leaders had discussed it “ways to develop and strengthen” bilateral relations, as well “some regional and international topics”.

On Friday, Washington removed Ahmed al-Charaa from its terrorist blacklist. From 2017 until last December, the FBI offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of the leader of Al-Qaeda’s former local branch, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group. On Thursday, the UN Security Council also lifted sanctions against Ahmed al-Charaa, at the initiative of the United States.