'How many wives?' Trump asks Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in historic White House meeting

The meeting represents an extraordinary diplomatic shift.

Al-Sharaa, 43, a former Al-Qaeda commander once designated a global terrorist by Washington and placed under a $10 million US bounty, now stood alongside Trump in the Oval Office- a tableau that would once have seemed unimaginable.

The visit coincides with the US decision to extend its suspension of sanctions on Syria for another 180 days, a move that has drawn both cautious optimism and sharp criticism from lawmakers wary of legitimising the new Damascus regime.

A video of the encounter, which has gone viral on social media, shows a lighter moment between the two leaders. Trump is seen gifting Al-Sharaa a bottle of perfume, spraying it on him and quipping, “It’s the best fragrance… And the other one is for your wife.” Turning playful, Trump then asks, “How many wives?”

When Al-Sharaa laughs and replies, “One,” Trump responds with a grin, “You never know!” prompting laughter from those present.

Al-Sharaa, in return, presented Trump with replicas of ancient Syrian artefacts, which he described as symbols of “the first alphabet in history, the first stamp in history, the first musical note, and the first customs tariff.”

Acknowledging the Syrian leader’s controversial past, Trump remarked, “We’ve all had 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.”

Al-Sharaa, who came to power last year after his Islamist forces ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in a swift offensive, is seeking a permanent repeal of US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act for human rights violations during the Assad era.

While Trump has temporarily waived those sanctions, a full repeal would require Congressional approval, a prospect that remains uncertain amid bipartisan scepticism in Washington.

Analysts view the meeting as part of Trump’s effort to open new diplomatic channels in the Middle East, even as critics warn it could normalize relations with a regime born out of violent upheaval.

For Al-Sharaa, the visit signals his desire to reposition Syria on the global stage — from a pariah state under Assad to a potential partner in regional security and reconstruction.

Whether this symbolic encounter translates into a genuine policy shift remains to be seen, but Monday’s handshake between Trump and Al-Sharaa has already rewritten one of the most unlikely chapters in recent diplomatic history.