“I am going out of respect to President Erdoğan,” Trump recently announced his decision to participate in the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara. U.S. president found a friend in the Turkish leader in his second term in White House, but he has never been to the country during his tenure. Indeed, he will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit Ankara in 17 years, despite seemingly close ties between the two NATO allies. When Barack Obama visited Türkiye, Erdoğan was prime minister and Turkish-US relations were on another track under the Democrats. Yet, relations deteriorated to a degree under Joe Biden.
Trump’s visit, which will begin on Tuesday, is expected to turn a new page in bilateral relations and will be a follow-up to Erdoğan’s White House visit last year that showcased how far ties had come since Biden left office.
The U.S. president will hold one-on-one talks with Erdoğan at the presidential complex in the capital and U.S.-Turkish delegations will hold talks separately on the margins of the summit.
Turkish media outlets reported that the agenda in the Erdoğan-Trump meeting will be diverse, but four topics will be the main items in discussions. These include lifting of CAATSA sanctions, Türkiye’s readmission to the F-35 program, U.S. sale of engines for Türkiye’s locally-made fighter jet KAAN and new defense projects. Additionally, Trump and Erdoğan are expected to discuss boosting bilateral trade volume and possible collaboration on energy.
On foreign policy, two leaders are expected to discuss the rebuilding of Syria in the post-Assad era, peace initiatives to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reconstruction of Gaza and prevention of Israel’s cease-fire violations.
Another topic will be the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), whose senior figures reside in the United States. Fetullah Gülen, leader of the group, died in his Pennsylvania retreat in 2024 while Washington repeatedly ignored Türkiye’s extradition request for the man behind the deadly 2016 coup attempt in the country. The United States still hosts members of FETÖ wanted by Türkiye, including those who reportedly run the group after the demise of Gülen.
Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, told journalists on Monday that they attached importance to Trump’s visit. “There have been plenty of topics discussed between Mr. Trump and our president during their frequent phone calls. Among them were engines for KAAN. There are also matters related to defense and security cooperation between the two countries. All those will likely come up during the discussions here,” he said.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week, a reporter asked Trump whether he was taking "a big gift bag for Erdogan" on the trip, noting that Ankara wants F-110 jet engines and F-35 fighter jets.
"Yeah, I think so," Trump responded. "Yeah, I'm going to probably do something that's going to make him very happy." Trump had also suggested in September that the U.S. could soon start selling F-35s to
Türkiye. Last year, after meeting with Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdoğan told reporters that the U.S. president is quick to return his calls, an anecdote that illustrated their close ties. "With my friend Trump, we are opening the door to a new era in Turkish‑American relations," Erdoğan said. "The process of telephone diplomacy between us has never exceeded 24 hours so far. When we call, the other side responds within 24 hours."
Trump is expected to stay at the JW Marriott hotel in Ankara, which was surrounded by an army of security officers while his presidential car, nicknamed “The Beast,” was spotted at a gas station in the capital on Monday. A massive security detail will await the U.S. president who escaped multiple assassination attempts in the United States during his second term.
Elsewhere, a “daughter” will wait for “reuniting” with the president. Turkish national Necla Özmen, who bears a passing resemblance to the 80-year-old leader, claims the billionaire president is her biological father.
Özmen, who lives in Ankara, told Ihlas News Agency (IHA) last month that she wanted to meet Trump when he arrived, as she insists on continuing her legal struggle to prove that she is the daughter of an affair of Trump. The 55-year-old woman sought to file a paternity lawsuit last year, but a court in Ankara rejected it. Özmen, who took the case to a higher court, claims her mother Satı Özmen “confessed” to her in 2017 that Trump was likely her father. Özmen says she was switched at birth after her “biological mother,” a woman she named Sophia, gave birth to Trump’s baby at a hospital in Türkiye. Özmen says she prepared stuffed leaves, a delicacy of Turkish cuisine, for her “father” and wanted to serve baklava to the U.S. president as well if she meets him during his stay in Ankara. Özmen often shares doctored photos of her and Trump and claims she also contacted U.S. authorities for another paternity suit in the United States. She insists she does not want any financial gain from the lawsuit and only wants to meet her biological father. “I sent him a letter and asked to meet when he came to Türkiye,” she told IHA.
It is unclear whether Trump will meet his "daughter," nor whether he will visit an Ankara restaurant that keeps a table reserved for the U.S. president. Metin Gümüş is determined to keep the table furnished with food, from spicy Turkish specialty çiğ köfte to künefe dessert, up until the departure of Trump.
“We hope he gives us a shot,” the restaurant owner told reporters last week.
