President Trump on Monday kept a historic meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa behind closed doors, an unusual move for a president who frequently opens up the Oval Office to cameras and reporters when meeting with foreign leaders.

It was the first visit by a Syrian leader to the White House, but al-Sharaa did not walk the route typically reserved for visiting dignitaries, through the West Wing entrance along the North Drive.

Instead, he was seen walking through the West Executive entrance, which is off-limits to reporters, and footage of the Syrian leader was captured behind the steel bars of the dividing fence.

That order of operations lent a cloak of secrecy to the high-profile visit.

Trump has taken a leading role in backing al-Sharaa’s stated desire to make Syria a friendly country after decades of war, terrorism, and drug trafficking under the ousted regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

“He's a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place. Tough guy. I like him,” Trump told reporters Monday afternoon in the Oval Office in a separate event.

“I get along with the president, the new president in Syria, and we'll do everything we can to make Syria successful.”

The Syrian Foreign Ministry released photos of the Oval Office meeting showing Trump and al-Sharaa smiling while shaking hands, with the president’s most senior officials taking part — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser; Vice President Vance; and Trump’s special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also joined the meeting at one point, demonstrating how closely Ankara is working between Damascus and Washington.

A congressional aide said that all indications, from conversations with the Syrian delegation and administration officials, are that the Oval Office meeting was a success despite the closed-door nature of the day.

Behind the scenes, U.S.........

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