Donald Trump Describes Falling Deeply in Love with Egyptian President El Sisi

During a media briefing at the G7 summit in France, US President Donald Trump stated that he "fell deeply in love" with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The two leaders were seated together when Trump made the remark.

Donald Trump Gushes Over Egypt’s President

Trump, 80, recounted their initial meeting before the 2016 US election. He said, “I met him early in the campaign when Crooked Hillary and I were running against each other, right, and I was told that the president of Egypt is here. So he was in a hotel, and I met him, and we fell in love. Deeply in love.”

The president added that El Sisi declined to meet with his Democratic opponent at the time. Trump said, “He didn’t even want to see Hillary. He said, ‘You’re going to win, I don’t want to meet her. You’re going to win.’ He didn’t want to see her, remember that? We had great chemistry, and I stayed twice as long as I was supposed to.”

Since the early days of Trump’s administration, the Egyptian president has maintained a close relationship with him. El Sisi was among the leaders present at the 2017 inauguration of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh.

A widely circulated photograph shows Trump, Melania Trump, and Saudi King Salman touching a glowing orb at the event. Trump had previously referred to El Sisi as “my favorite dictator.” Human rights organizations have criticized El Sisi’s record, citing allegations of state-sponsored torture, enforced disappearances, and persecution of LGBTQ individuals.

At Wednesday’s bilateral meeting, El Sisi expressed appreciation for Trump’s position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a large-scale project on the Nile River that Egypt considers a threat to its water supply. The Egyptian leader also welcomed the peace agreement between the United States and Iran.