PoliticsDonald Trump Bluntly Asks Syrian President How Many Wives He Has: 'With You Guys, I Never Know'
Donald Trump sparked backlash after bluntly asking Syria’s president how many wives he has.
Nov. 13 2025, Published 10:49 a.m. ET
Donald Trump is once again in hot water for his offbeat — and arguably inappropriate — remarks to a foreign leader.
During a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday, November 10, Trump presented the 43-year-old with a bottle of perfume and sprayed it on him, calling it “the best fragrance.”
Donald Trump asked Syria’s president how many wives he has.
“And the other one is for your wife,” Trump said before asking, “How many wives?”
When al-Sharaa calmly replied, “One,” Trump shot back, “With you guys, I never know.”
The awkward question comes during a meeting about U.S.-Syria relations.
According to BBC, the meeting centered on Syria joining the international coalition to combat the Islamic State group — a move marking a major shift in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. A senior Trump administration official confirmed the development, noting that the exchange occurred during what was intended to be a diplomatic discussion.
In a later interview with Fox News’ Special Report, al-Sharaa described the meeting as part of a “new era” of cooperation between Syria and the U.S. Trump has publicly voiced support for al-Sharaa, who was until recently listed as a terrorist by the U.S. government.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after their talk, Trump praised the Syrian leader, saying, “We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful. And I think this leader can do it. I really do.”
Donald Trump also mocked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a past summit.
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This isn’t the first time Trump has made controversial cultural remarks while interacting with global leaders.
Back in October, critics blasted him as a “global embarrassment” after he attempted an Indian accent during a speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The 79-year-old president praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he suddenly tried to mimic the 75-year-old leader’s voice.
Trump was bragging about supposedly ending India’s four-day conflict with Pakistan by threatening “insanely high tariffs,” even though Indian officials denied he had anything to do with the ceasefire.
Bloomberg later reported that Modi skipped the following week’s summit in Malaysia — allegedly because of Trump’s behavior in South Korea.
Critics called Donald Trump’s behavior embarrassing and unprofessional.
During the speech, Trump called Modi “the nicest looking guy,” saying he looked like someone “you’d like to have as your father.”
Then, in typical Trump fashion, he added, “He’s a killer. He’s tough as h---,” before breaking into what appeared to be a poor imitation of Modi, shouting, “No, we will fight!”
The clip quickly went viral, sparking widespread backlash online.
“Trump disgraces himself several times a day,” one critic wrote, while another blasted him as “mentally incompetent.”
Others chimed in, calling him “an embarrassing grandpa” and “mentally ill,” accusing Republicans of refusing to rein him in.
