There’s no polite way to open this one, so let’s just be honest about the optics. President Trump publicly met with Syria’s terrorist “president” Ahmed al-Sharaa, a man who helped kill US troops as a member of al Qaida. Trump said al-Sharaa is a “Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter. He’s a real leader. He led a charge and he’s pretty amazing.” What? This guy’s terrorist bands currently are killing Christians, Kurds, Druze and other sects in Syria. You can wrap it in strategy or diplomacy, but the reality is simple: this is a man whose movement shed American blood. This is not to denigrate President Trump in any way, but that kind of meeting is questionable. No amount of lipstick on a pig, changes what it is.
Then came the meeting with New York City’s mayor, a self-declared socialist whose record includes pro-Hamas rhetoric, anti-Israel policies, and open hostility toward the Jewish community. This isn’t hidden. It’s public record. Yet when the cameras rolled and the microphones came out, President Trump stepped out and said, “He’s just different.” That line ricocheted across the country like a brick through a window. “Different” is a strange way to describe a man whose ideological leanings line up with the very movements that threaten Israel, undermine American values, and excuse violence in the name of political identity. Loyalists say Trump didn’t give Mamdani anything, but just the public meeting was gift enough.
Now, let’s address something head on. A vast majority of Daily Jot readers are strong Trump supporters. Many of us defend him daily, voted for him consistently, and believe he is the best president in modern history. I understand that loyalty. I also understand the responsibility of honest commentary. Loyalty doesn’t mean shutting off discernment. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” When a political leader begins courting terrorists on Tuesday and socialist ideologues on Thursday, Christians should raise an eyebrow. Not out of rebellion, but out of biblical wisdom. The question is not whether he’s your guy. Why the sudden wave of Islamic appeasement? Is it diplomacy? Is it strategy? Is it naivety? It appears as a dangerous drift dressed up as pragmatism. These people are against the very God of the universe.
The world is indeed unstable. The Middle East is aligning in ways that echo the end times by the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel. Anti-Israel sentiment is growing across Western institutions. Terror-linked leaders are being welcomed into polite political society. And in the middle of all that, there’s a revolving door of visits at the White House by a Muslim terrorist and a Muslim terrorist sympathizing socialist. This is perplexing at best. Yes, there is the argument of peace. And the argument that Trump is a master strategist. And I know I will lose subscribers with this Jot. But we have to be honest here. There is also an argument of a lack of discernment with matters of Islam. These meetings deserve scrutiny and discernment in these very prophetic times. This could be diplomacy or strategy or it could be, say it with me, stupidocrisy.
Sources
- CBS News — Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-syria-president-al-sharaa-us-terrorist-designation-lifted-sanctions/ - The Guardian — U.S. suspends sanctions to allow Syrian meetings
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/10/us-declares-partial-suspension-of-sanctions-on-syria-after-historic-meeting - Reuters — Syria’s Sharaa background and militant history
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/who-is-syrias-new-president-ahmed-al-sharaa - New York Post — NYC mayor’s pro-Hamas, anti-Israel positions
https://nypost.com/2025/10/18/nyc-mayor-under-fire-over-pro-hamas-statements/ - Fox News — NYC mayor’s socialist affiliation and anti-Israel rhetoric
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nyc-mayor-socialist-israel - UK Independent– https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-trump-ahmed-alsharaa-syria-sanctions-israel-b2751151.html
