


Departing Saudi Arabia, President Trump holds a press briefing aboard Air Force One while on route to Qatar the second stop in the trip.
President Trump was asked about his meeting with Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Trump told reporters he found the country’s new leader to be “very good,” adding that he’s a “young, attractive guy.” “He’s got a real shot at pulling it together. I spoke with President Erdogan, who I’m very friendly with. He feels he’s got a shot of doing a good job. It’s a torn-up country,” Trump added.
President Trump said that he thought that Syria would join the Abraham Accords after Syria “gets themselves straightened out,” but he added that the nation has “a lot of work to do.” When asked whether he’d consulted Israel before lifting the sanctions on Syria, President Trump said his administration simply told Israel they would do it. “The reason I did it is because I spoke with the President Erdogan and I spoke to Mohammed, as you know, and they thought it was very important to do, it gives … them a much better chance of survival as a country,” Trump said. WATCH:
President Trump also said that Russia President Putin wanted Trump to attend the talks in Turkey, though Trump remained noncommittal on attending, citing his schedule and foreign trip obligations. “He would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that,” Trump said.