WASHINGTON D.C. — President Donald Trump is set to host Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on November 10, marking the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state to the U.S. seat of power, a senior administration official confirmed Saturday.
The visit signals a major shift in U.S.–Syria relations after decades of conflict and diplomatic isolation. It follows Trump’s earlier meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh last May, the first encounter between American and Syrian leaders in more than 25 years.
Al-Sharaa’s rise has been extraordinary. Once known under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, he was linked to al-Qaida affiliates and even spent time in U.S. custody in Iraq. The United States once offered a $ 10 million bounty for his capture. Today, he presents himself as a reformist leader seeking to rebuild Syria’s shattered international reputation and economy.
During his address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, al-Sharaa urged Washington to lift its sanctions on Damascus, saying they were crippling Syria’s recovery. His upcoming meeting with Trump is expected to focus on Syria’s potential participation in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, as well as the gradual normalization of relations with regional neighbors, including Israel.
The visit comes at a delicate moment for Middle East diplomacy. Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas began implementing a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement that has tentatively paused more than two years of fighting in Gaza. Despite recent flare-ups, Washington hopes the fragile truce can pave the way for broader regional cooperation.
Trump, who has called the re-engagement with Syria a “bold step toward lasting peace,” is expected to discuss humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism coordination, and potential investment partnerships to rebuild Syria’s devastated infrastructure.
The White House declined to release the full agenda for security reasons, but officials described the visit as a “turning point in U.S. diplomacy with the Arab world.”
Analysts note that if successful, the meeting could open the door to Syria’s reintegration into international institutions after more than a decade of sanctions and conflict. Still, many Western governments remain skeptical of al-Sharaa’s transformation and question whether his leadership truly signals lasting reform.
The meeting, first reported by Axios and confirmed by Reuters, will be the first between an American president and a Syrian leader since Hafez Assad met with Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
