U.S. President Donald Trump heaped praise on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a meeting with Middle Eastern leaders, calling the Turkish president a "tough cookie” and warning that he was not someone to "mess around with.”
Speaking at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) multilateral meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaid, President Erdoğan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump singled out Erdoğan while addressing the gathering, which brought together leaders from Türkiye and several Arab countries, including Syria, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
"Including my friend right over here from Türkiye. He’s a tough cookie. You don’t mess around with him,” Trump said, referring to Erdoğan.
Trump then joked about whether his remarks would be translated accurately before continuing his praise of the Turkish president.
"I hope they translate this right. I hope we have a good translator, but he’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic guy,” Trump said, turning toward Erdoğan and calling him "my friend.”
The meeting came amid intensive diplomatic efforts to address mounting tensions and conflicts across the Middle East, particularly developments in the Gulf.
Speaking to reporters outside the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York following the talks, Erdoğan said Türkiye and other regional countries were working to overcome the challenges facing the Gulf.
"That’s what we’re working on,” Erdoğan said when asked whether the meeting could produce a solution to the problems discussed.
"About eight countries took part in this meeting in an effort to overcome the difficulties in the Gulf as soon as possible. We will see the fruits and results of these efforts in the near future,” he added.
Erdoğan made the remarks after a packed day of diplomacy in New York, where he addressed the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly and held a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with world leaders.
The talks formed part of broader diplomatic efforts among Türkiye, the United States and regional countries to ease tensions and seek solutions to conflicts across the Middle East.