Trump Praises Erdoğan: ‘He’s a Strong Man, You Can’t Play Games With Him’

U.S. President Donald Trump heaped praise on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a meeting with Middle East leaders, describing the Turkish president as a “strong” man and warning that he is not someone you can “play games” with.

Speaking at the multilateral meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with the Iraqi Prime Minister, President Erdoğan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Emir of Qatar and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump singled out Erdoğan during his remarks at the meeting, which brought together leaders from Türkiye and several Arab countries, including Syria, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.

“Including my friend here, from Türkiye. He is a strong man. You can’t play games with him,” Trump said, referring to Erdoğan.

Trump then joked about whether his words would be translated correctly, before continuing with his praise for the Turkish president.

“I hope they translate this correctly. I hope we have a good translator, but he is fantastic. He is a fantastic man,” Trump said, turning toward Erdoğan and calling him “my friend”.

The meeting came amid intense diplomatic efforts to address rising tensions and conflicts across the Middle East, particularly developments in the Gulf region.

Speaking to reporters outside the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York after the talks, Erdoğan said Türkiye and other countries in the region were working to overcome the challenges facing the Gulf.

“This is what we are working on,” Erdoğan said when asked whether the meeting could bring a solution to the problems discussed.

“Around eight countries took part in this meeting in an effort to overcome the difficulties in the Persian Gulf as soon as possible. We will see the fruits and results of these efforts in the near future,” he added.

Erdoğan made the comments after a busy day of diplomatic activity in New York, where he addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and held a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with world leaders.

The talks were part of broader diplomatic efforts between Türkiye, the United States and countries in the region to lower tensions and seek solutions to conflicts across the Middle East.