U.S. President Donald Trump praised Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy" with a "strong past" during remarks aboard Air Force One. Trump expressed confidence in al-Sharaa’s leadership following their recent meeting in Saudi Arabia, calling him a "fighter" with a chance to stabilize war-torn Syria. His comments follow a pledge to lift longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria, despite al-Sharaa’s former links to insurgent groups and past imprisonment by U.S. forces.