Trump sends branded perfume to Syria's al-Sharaa

WorldPolitics
20 May 2026 • 5:50 PM MYT
DPA International
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Image from: Trump sends branded perfume to Syria's al-Sharaa
FILE PHOTO: Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa attends a meetong with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (is associated with: «Trump sends branded perfume to Syria's al-Sharaa») -/Ukrainian Presidency/dpa

US President Donald Trump has sent two bottles of his own line of perfume to Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa, the country's interim president, shared a photo on social media late on Tuesday thanking Trump for the "precious gift."

The photo shows two bottles of Trump's branded "Victory" cologne with a personalized note reading: "Ahmed, They're all talking about the picture we took when I gave you this great cologne – Just in case you ran out!"

The two met in November in Washington. Videos from the meeting showed Trump spraying the fragrance on al-Sharaa before gifting him a bottle.

"Some meetings leave an impression; ours apparently left a fragrance," al-Sharaa wrote on X, thanking Trump for his "generosity and for topping up this precious gift."

"May the spirit of that meeting continue to shape a stronger relationship between Syria and the United States," al-Sharaa added.

The Washington talks came months after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman brokered their first meeting while Trump was visiting Riyadh in May.

Al-Sharaa became Syria's interim president after leading rebels towards Damascus in December 2024, forcing longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee the country after nearly 14 years of civil war.

Until then, al-Sharaa was listed as a wanted terrorist in the United States with a $10 million reward for his capture due to his role as a militant commander.

The bounty was withdrawn after al-Sharaa's rebels toppled al-Assad.

The jihadist-turned-president has sought to distance himself from his militant past, cultivating a cosmopolitan image.

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