US President Donald Trump said that he enjoyed meeting Syria's "young, attractive" interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Damascus.
"[He's] a young, attractive guy. Tough guy," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that Sharaa was a "fighter" who has a "strong past."
"He's got a real shot at pulling it together," the president added.
Trump said that he spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who emphasized his confidence in Sharaa. Erdogan has been trying to form close relations with the interim Syrian president since his rise to power in December 2024.
Trump visits Middle East, takes sanctions off of Syria
Trump's comments came after his trip to Syria on Wednesday, where he urged Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords and take "a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country."
According to a White House press release, Trump told Sharaa to "tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help the US to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in the northeastern parts of the country."
The Wednesday meeting marks the first time leaders from the two countries have met in over 20 years. Trump lifted sanctions on Syria on Tuesday, saying that he wanted to give Syria "a fresh start."
Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria showed that the US president "disregards" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yisrael Beytenu party leader MK Avigdor Liberman told The Jerusalem Post in an interview.