Archive · 13 Nov 2025
Trump Welcomes Syrian President Sharaa Amidst Contradictory US Stances
Imagine a leader named Ahmed who used to be part of a group called al-Qaeda, which America didn't like.
He later led his own group and became the president of Syria, even helping to remove the previous leader.
Recently, President Trump invited Ahmed to visit him at the White House, which was a big surprise!
Ahmed used to be called 'Julani' and America even offered money for information about him.
Some people who support President Trump were not happy about this meeting.
However, the US government took Ahmed off their 'wanted' list.
In exchange, Syria agreed to help fight another bad group called ISIS.
This shows how leaders and countries can sometimes change their minds about who they work with.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani and a past al-Qaeda affiliate, visited the White House this week.
The visit marks the first time a Syrian leader has been to the White House since 1946.
Despite a 2017 US Embassy post offering $10 million for information on al-Sharaa and the designation of his group HTS as terrorist, the Trump administration removed him from the terrorism list.
Al-Sharaa, who founded the al-Nusra Front and later rebranded to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), became president of Syria after contributing to the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
In return for the US actions, Syria has joined the global coalition against the Islamic State group.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
- What
- A meeting and apparent reconciliation between US President Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was formerly designated as a terrorist by the US.
- When
- This week
- Where
- The White House
- Why
- The article suggests a shift in US policy, with Syria joining the global coalition against ISIS in return for Sharaa's removal from the terrorism list, despite past designations.
- Syrian President
- Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammad al-Julani)
- Host
- US President Donald Trump
- Location
- White House
- Sharaa's Background
- Former al-Qaeda member, founder of al-Nusra Front, rebranded as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
- US Embassy Syria (2017)
- Offered $10 million reward for information on al-Sharaa
- US State Department Designation
- HTS designated as a terrorist organization; al-Sharaa designated as terrorist
- Syria's Action
- Joined global coalition against the Islamic State group