President Donald Trump asked Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa how many wives he had when he gifted him fragrances on Monday, joking, “With you guys, I never know.”
The video shows Trump spraying Trump cologne on himself and al-Sharaa. He tells al-Sharra to take the cologne with him to Syria and notes another fragrance “is for your wife.”
“How many wives, one?” Trump asked al-Sharra with a smile, to which the Syrian president responded, “One.”
“With you guys, I never know,” Trump quipped.
Monday’s meeting was a high-stakes visit, as al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda officer who was under United Nations sanctions that were lifted Thursday, aimed to “to convince the Western world he can complete the transition to a peaceful, inclusive, and trustworthy democracy,” as Breitbart News’s John Hayward noted.
When asked after the meeting whether there could be announcements on a pact between Israel and Syria or potential for Syria to join the anti-ISIS coalition, Trump said, “Yes, you can expect some announcements on Syria.”
“We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful, and I think this leader can do it. I really do. I think this leader can do it,” Trump said.
“And, people said he’s had a rough past. We all have rough pasts. But, he has had a rough past, and I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a rough past you wouldn’t have a chance,” he added.
Trump also complimented al-Sharaa as “a very strong leader.” ‘
“I like him. I get along with him — the President, the new President of Syria. We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East,” he said.
