U.S. President Donald Trump is again using diplomacy with Syria and its president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to promote his private cologne brand, “Victory 47-45.”
In November 2025, Trump drew attention during al-Sharaa’s historic White House visit when he sprayed the Syrian president and his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, with the cologne and gave al-Sharaa two bottles as a gift — one for him and one for his wife, Latifa al-Droubi — but not before asking how many wives he had.
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Boxes of Trump’s 'Victory' cologne and a handwritten note sent by the US president to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa after their White House meeting
Late Tuesday, al-Sharaa posted on X what briefly appeared more like an advertisement than an exchange between the leaders of two countries.
“Some meetings leave an impression; ours apparently left a fragrance,” the Syrian president wrote, attaching a photo of two additional cologne bottles sent by Trump and a personal note from him.
“Ahmed, they're all talking about the picture we took when I gave you this great cologne — Just in case you ran out!” Trump wrote in the note propped against the gift.
“Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, for your generosity and for topping up this precious gift,” al-Sharaa wrote. “May the spirit of that meeting continue to shape a stronger relationship between Syria and the United States.”
Trump met al-Sharaa at the White House in November, less than a year after the new Syrian president came to power. The historic visit was the first by any Syrian president to the White House since Syria gained independence in 1946, following years in which Damascus was under heavy U.S. sanctions over Bashar Assad’s support for terrorism and his brutal crackdown on opponents during the civil war.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has lavished praise on al-Sharaa, described him as “handsome,” and portrayed him as a leader capable of bringing new hope to the region.
The rapprochement has been met with deep suspicion in Israel due to al-Sharaa’s jihadist past. He was previously affiliated with al-Qaida and led the extremist Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra. Critics doubt he has truly abandoned his jihadist ideology and fear he is presenting a moderate image only to buy time to consolidate his rule and strengthen Syria militarily.
Ties between Washington and Damascus have continued to deepen in recent months. Last weekend, al-Sharaa and al-Shaibani met at the People’s Palace in Damascus with Thomas Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria. Syrian state media said they discussed ways to strengthen economic and commercial cooperation with the United States.
Al-Sharaa also met Barrack last month during a conference in Turkey.