U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for a joint press appearance, highlighting what he described as Syria’s rapid recovery and political stabilization under its new leadership. Trump credited al-Sharaa with reunifying the country after the fall of the previous regime and defended his administration’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria. During the question-and-answer session, Trump also discussed the possibility of removing Syria from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list, Syria’s potential role in regional security, the Iran nuclear issue, Israel-Lebanon relations, U.S. energy production, and trade with the European Union.
Full Meeting in Ankara
President Donald Trump:
He’s brought the country together. He’s a strong person, a great leader, and respected by everybody, including me.
We’re proud to have him here.
We’re here to talk about a few things. We lifted sanctions on Syria, which I think was a very important step and a major boost for the country.
Syria has become remarkably stable in a short period of time. It’s amazing how quickly it’s been stabilized, and we’re proud to have played a part in that.
Syria has one of the great cultures—not just in the Middle East, but anywhere in the world. It has produced great professors, lawyers, and doctors. Then it went through a terrible period.
It’s a country many people are proud of, and they’re proud of the job he’s done.
Thank you very much.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa:
As President Trump said, we achieved a great victory by toppling the former regime.
In just a year and a half, we have reunited the country, restored national unity, and put Syria back on the right track.
This achievement belongs to the strong Syrian people that President Trump spoke about.
The historic decision by President Trump to lift sanctions on Syria, together with the support of friendly countries—especially Turkey and other neighbors—has greatly helped us.
The entire Syrian people thank President Trump.
President Trump:
Thank you very much.
I’m proud of you.
Any questions?
Q&A Session
Question:
Are you going to remove Syria from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list?
President Trump:
I think I will.
Why wouldn’t I?
He’s done a great job.
That’s a good question.
Yes, I think we should.
Question:
Do you still want Syria to help deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon?
President Trump:
They could help.
We’ll find out.
I think we’re making a lot of progress.
They would do a very good job.
Question:
Prime Minister Netanyahu has criticized aspects of your relationship with President Erdoğan, saying he has imperial ambitions in neighboring countries, including Syria.
President Trump:
He hasn’t been involved in Syria against Israel.
He’s left Israel alone.
I wouldn’t say he’s Netanyahu’s friend—they don’t get along—but he’s been great with me.
Turkey has been a fantastic ally and is a NATO member.
No American president has done more for Israel than I have.
Look at Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and everything else we’ve done.
We’ve also made tremendous progress with Iran.
We wiped out their military capabilities.
Question:
Should Prime Minister Netanyahu be reelected?
President Trump:
He’s been a great wartime prime minister.
We worked very closely together through a major conflict.
I don’t know much about his domestic politics, but I think he should be popular because he did a very good job.
If Israel had a weak prime minister, the country wouldn’t exist today.
And if I hadn’t been president, Israel wouldn’t exist today either.
Question:
The Energy Information Administration says U.S. oil production reached a record under your leadership. Why is that important?
President Trump:
When we carried out what I call the denuclearization of Iran, we expected oil prices to rise sharply.
Instead, they’re coming down.
Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
Oil prices are falling, and I think they’ll go much lower.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:
Record production occurred during President Trump’s first term and now again in his second.
The United States is an energy superpower.
Bloomberg recently wrote that there’s now an oil glut.
American energy has made us stronger than anyone else during recent conflicts.
President Trump:
The United States now produces almost twice as much oil as Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.
That doesn’t even include Venezuela.
We started this during my first term.
The previous administration damaged it, but we’ve brought it back.
Question:
You’ve said dealing with Iran is a waste of time. How will you secure its nuclear material?
President Trump:
We’ve already secured the situation.
The nuclear material is buried so deep underground that only the United States has the equipment capable of reaching it.
Question:
So there are no plans for boots on the ground?
President Trump:
Why would I send troops now?
I’d only consider that if everything else failed or if an agreement wasn’t reached.
Question:
If you cut off trade with Spain, would you have to renegotiate trade agreements with the European Union?
President Trump:
We’ll see what happens.
The European Union has taken advantage of the United States for years.
Just as Syria was taken advantage of, we’re bringing America back.
We now have $19.2 trillion being invested in the United States.
That’s the largest investment in any country in history.
Toyota is moving major production from Mexico to the United States.
Factories are being built all over the country.
Question:
You recently said Walmart would reduce prices by 15%. How significant is that?
President Trump:
It’s a very big deal for American families.
We inherited extremely high inflation.
Now prices are coming down.
Oil prices have fallen dramatically, and when oil falls, everything else becomes cheaper.
The media started talking about “affordability” as soon as I took office.
Remember the egg prices?
They told me not to use real eggs for the White House Easter Egg Hunt because they were too expensive.
I said we weren’t doing that.
Now egg prices are way down.
Everything is moving in the right direction.
Question:
Brent crude oil rose slightly today.
President Trump:
Whenever we strike Iran, oil goes up a little.
But overall, prices are still falling.
We’re denuclearizing Iran.
They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.
Question:
Do you think Israel should withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon?
President Trump:
I spoke with Bibi about that.
I think they want to withdraw.
They’re getting along with Lebanon.
They’re signing agreements.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio:
We have an agreement in place.
That’s the objective.
Israel is naturally concerned about its security, but the President brought Israel and Lebanon together for the first time in many years.
I think it’s going to work out very well.
President Trump:
We’re here because Syria has turned around faster than almost any country I’ve ever seen.
I also turned the United States around very quickly.
We inherited serious problems—open borders, crime, and inflation.
We’ve removed thousands of dangerous criminals.
Crime has fallen dramatically in Washington, D.C., Memphis, New Orleans, and other cities.
We’ve done a great job.
And he’s done a great job too.
Thank you very much.
President Trump:
Thank you, everybody.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa:
Thank you.
Reporters:
Thank you.
