Trump Did What No President Has Done Since 2000

President Trump held a closed-door meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday with Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, marking the first encounter between US and Syrian leaders in a quarter-century. The meeting came as part of Trump's Middle East trip and coincided with an announcement that the US would begin lifting sanctions on Syria—restrictions originally imposed during the decades-long Assad regime. More:

• Attendees: The New York Times reports the meeting came about following an invitation from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who participated; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which supported al-Shara, joined by phone. Both men had pushed Trump to lift the sanctions on Syria.
• Context: The AP called the 30-minute sit-down "remarkable given al-Sharaa, under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, had ties to al-Qaeda and joined insurgents battling US forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war. He was even imprisoned by US troops there for several years."
• Standout quote: Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after departing the meeting, Trump has this to say about al-Sharaa, per the Times: "Young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter. He's got a real shot at holding it together. I spoke with President Erdogan, who is very friendly with him. He feels he's got a shot of doing a good job. It's a torn up country."

• Trivia: The last meeting of an American and Syrian leader occurred when Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
• Up next: The Guardian reports Trump arrived to "a lavish welcome reception" in Doha, Qatar, later Wednesday and spoke with Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani about topics ranging from peace in the region to the World Cup to the architecture of the room the men were in. "The job you've done is second to none," Trump said. "You look at this, it's so beautiful. As a construction person, I'm seeing perfect marble. This is what they call perfecto."

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