Overview

• Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes drew wide attention after he replied, “Have you any doubt about that?” when asked about President Trump calling him “handsome” and “tough.”
• Margaret Brennan pressed al-Sharaa on his years leading Jabhat al-Nusra, noting a former $10 million U.S. bounty, as he cast his earlier militancy as a youthful mistake and emphasized reconstruction.
• The broadcast marked al-Sharaa’s first major appearance on American television since taking power after Bashar al-Assad’s fall.
• The United States dropped HTS’s terrorist designation in July after Trump met al-Sharaa in Riyadh and lifted sanctions on the new government, even as skepticism persists in Washington.
• Clips of the exchange racked up millions of views on social platforms, where users dubbed him “President Rizz” while debating U.S. engagement with Syria’s new leadership.