Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Dec. 11, 2025
Update	: Dec. 11, 2025
Parts	: 01

Synopsis:



This short article concerns what I personally view as a very serious mistake on the part of US President Donald J. Trump. Despite all of the good things that he has done since he was able to regain the presidency in 2024, we need to remember that Donald J. Trump has always first and foremost been about money and profit. Whether it is on a personal level, or else on a national level as the president of our country, money and profit is what it is all about, and what it will always be about, when it comes to Trump. As I explain in my article "Confusing Tariffs Controversy: Big Business Exposed!", that is what the tariff war is all about as well. So to reiterate, money and profit is in Trump's blood. Everything is a deal to him. Everything can be bought if the price is right.

Sadly, as we have seen with some of Trump's recent decisions, he will turn a blind eye to oppression, persecution, and even killing and genocide, if the profit margin is large enough in his eyes. If you do not know what I am talking about, please refer to articles such as "Donald Trump, Gaza, and the Tyre Prophecy" and "Gaza Strip Horrors and the Trump Plan", both of which are listed at the end of this same article.

So to the main point of this article. As many of my readers will already know, the political world -- I don't know how much of the regular world -- was utterly shocked when during the second week of December 2024, the oppressive Ba'athist regime of Bashar al-Assad came crashing down and collapsed, bringing an end to the thirteen-year Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011 with the Syrian Revolution.

On a side note, as I mention in other BBB articles, deceased Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein -- aka the so-called "Butcher of Baghdad" -- was likewise a member of the Ba'ath party. In fact, as some of my older readers may possibly still recall, over twenty years ago, there were certain false, unfounded rumors in circulation that made the bogus claim that Saddam Hussein had secretly transferred some of his WMD -- that is to say, Weapons of Mass Destruction -- to Bashar Assad's Syria for safekeeping, either before or sometime after the illegal and illogical American invasion of Iraq had begun. I examine this subject in other BBB articles such as "Saddam Hussein's Execution and the Euro Dollar War", as well as in "Obama, McCain and the Bush Legacy". You'll find links for them at the end of this same article.

At any rate, this monumental development in Syria -- that is to say, Bashar's fall -- brought an indisputable end to the Assad family's harsh dictatorship, which had actually begun with Bashar's father -- the politician and military officer, Hafez al-Assad -- who grabbed hold of power in 1971 after a successful coup d'état. As the Syrian Civil War progressed, it became evident to some people -- myself included -- that Bashar's power and control was becoming more restricted and limited, to a point where Damascus became sort of a bubble in the midst of the war.

Thus, it appeared to be only a matter of time before the Syrian capital itself would eventually fall to the Syrian opposition forces. With its main support coming from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, the rebel offensive was spearheaded by a group known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham -- HTS -- and also by SOR, that is to say, the Southern Operations Room. And that is precisely what happened. It was in fact during a major offensive by these rebels that Bashar's fantasy house of cards came tumbling down, much to the surprise of the world.

Now, my friends, this is where we get into the meat of the matter. To give you a quick review of its background without getting into all of the deeper details, which I imagine most of my readers would probably find boring anyway, HTS was a political organization and Islamist paramilitary group. It embraced Sunni Islam, and was formed in January of 2017 when several Syrian armed groups -- Jaysh al-Ahrar, Ansar al-Din Front, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Jaysh al-Sunna, Liwa al-Haqq and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement -- merged together. This unification was in large part due to the efforts of an Islamist rebel commander by the name of Abu Jaber Sheikhm.

The stated goals of HTS were basically three: the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist regime, the removal of Hezbollah militants from all Syrian territories, and last of all, the formation of an Islamic government in Damascus. While Assad ruled from Damascus, from its formation in 2017, until its dissolution in late 2024/early 2025 when Assad's regime fell, HTS gave its allegiance to the Syrian Salvation Government, which was the opposition government that was based in the governorate of Idlib.

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham eventually became so strong, that from 2021 to 2024, it was in fact recognized as the most powerful military faction within the Syrian opposition. However, guess what? Τhe organization was designated as a terrorist group by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254. This point is very important, so please don't forget it. A group is not given the label of "terrorist" unless it is for a very good reason, right?

To continue, following the fall of Damascus in December 2024, the Syrian Salvation Government that was based in Idlib was replaced by the Syrian transitional government. Furthermore, in January of 2025, it was formally announced that HTS had been dissolved. In actuality, the former rebel members of HTS were simply absorbed into the Ministry of Defense. In July and December of this same year -- 2025 -- the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada each took the added step of revoking the foreign terrorist organization designations for Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. That is to say, HTS.

Now we come to the next very important part of this story. Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa -- who was previously known by his nom de guerre -- that is to say, his war name under which he engaged in combat -- Abu Mohammad al-Julani, began his long, bloody, violent career as a rebel in 2003 when he traveled from Syria to Iraq. And exactly what did al-Sharaa do there? I bet some of you can easily guess. He in fact resisted the American occupation of Iraq. Furthermore, he joined al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought in the Iraqi insurgency against US forces. Three years later in 2006, he was caught while planting an IED -- in other words, an Improvised Explosive Device, or roadside bomb -- and imprisoned by the American military. In fact, he spent some time at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. However, al-Sharaa was subsequently release in 2011 by the Iraqi government during the aforementioned Syrian Revolution.

One would think that perhaps after spending five years in an American-controlled prison, al-Sharaa would have come to his senses and figured out that maybe being an al-Qaeda rebel was not such a smart idea after all. However, sadly, if there is one thing we should know by now, it is that violence, murder and killing is in the blood of Islamic extremists. After all, according to their beliefs, if they kill enough people, they just might get seventy-two virgins in the Islamic Paradise. Please excuse my sarcasm.

So exactly what did al-Sharaa do upon his release from prison in Iraq? Well, he returned to Syria where he was tasked with establishing the al-Nusra Front as al-Qaeda's official branch in Syria. That's what! Once al-Qaeda, always al-Qaeda, right? Thus, between 2011 and 2012, he co-ordinated with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to expand al-Qaeda's presence in Syria. The goal, of course, was to defeat the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and to establish an Islamic government in Damascus, as I told you earlier.

For those of my readers who are not aware, at that particular time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was the leader and self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State in Iraq. He met his fate when on October 26-27 of 2019, the United States engaged in a secret military operation code named Operation Kayla Mueller, which took place in the outskirts of Barisha, Idlib Governorate, Syria. As I mentioned to you earlier, Idlib Governorate was actually the location of the opposition government that was known as the Syrian Salvation Government. Based on statements from the U.S. Central Command -- or CENTCOM -- al-Baghdadi killed himself, along with two children, when he detonated a suicide belt while trying to escape from U.S. forces during the raid.

At any rate, while Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa -- or Abu Mohammad al-Julani -- was actually born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to a Syrian Sunni Muslim family from Daraa and the Golan Heights, he grew up in Damascus. So, after creating and becoming the leader -- or emir -- of the al-Nusra Front in 2011, he had a falling out with al-Baghdadi when al-Baghdadi tried to absorb the al-Nusra Front into the Islamic State. This difference in each man's vision in fact led to armed conflict between the two rebel groups. Finally, in 2016, al-Sharaa cut al-Nusra's ties with al-Qaeda. Furthermore, he also launched a crackdown on al-Qaeda loyalists.

When Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham -- HTS -- was formed in January of 2017, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa became its de facto leader, and remained so until HTS was dissolved in January of 2025. Also of importance is the fact that al-Sharaa was instrumental in creating the rebel stronghold in the Idlib Governorate, and for the establishment of the Syrian Salvation Government in that same place, as I mentioned to you earlier. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of December in 2024 -- which was a direct result of an eleven-day offensive that was led by al-Sharaa, which itself resulted in quick military victories in Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Damascus -- for a short period, al-Sharaa became Syria's de facto leader. However, he was officially appointed as Syria's new president on January 29, 2025 at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference.

Regarding Bashar al-Assad, he had always been pro-Russia. So it came as no surprise that when HTS arrived in Damascus, he fled to Russia where he was immediately granted asylum by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Assad's personal family had already been sent there in advance, according to news reports.

Concerning what Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa has done over the past year since becoming the new president of Syria, following is some abbreviated information taken directly from the Wikipedia website:

----- Begin Quote -----

1. focusing on consolidating power

2. rebuilding state institutions

3. integrating military factions

4. restoring Syria's international relations with the USA, Russia, and regional powers.

5. Domestically, al-Sharaa is doing the following:

    a. pursuing economic recovery

    b. stabilizing internal security

    c. assisting in the return of Syrian refugees to their homes

    d. reconciling with minority groups, including signing an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces to integrate their military and civil institutions into the state

Al-Sharaa's first year as president saw massacres targeting Syrian Alawites and clashes in southern Syria, both involving government-affiliated troops, which led to criticism.

After breaking their 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria, Israel intensified its limited invasion of southwestern Syria from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Al-Sharaa reaffirmed Syria's commitment to the 1974 deal and has opposed renewed conflict with Israel.

Al-Sharaa has condemned Iranian influence in Syria, and has signed an interim constitution establishing a five-year transition period, and announced the formation of a transitional government.

----- End Quote -----

So, while I tried to keep the facts as brief as possible -- yes, I know that I didn't do too well -- that is an overview of who and what Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa really is. Given his rather violent history, perhaps you can understand why, when I learned that not only had he been appointed as president of Syria, but was likewise invited to the White House, and shook hands with President Donald J. Trump, it shocked me and made my jaw drop.

Granted, I am not the president, or a politician, or even a diplomat. However, from my personal perspective, and based on what I've learned about al-Sharaa, it is my opinion that befriending the man, and shaking hands with him, is one HUGE mistake. I don't know what President Trump is thinking. In fact, I really have to wonder if the Syrians might possibly be laughing behind Trump's back. You know, I am reminded of the following verse that is found in the Book of Jeremiah:

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."


As I mentioned to you earlier in this article, when it comes to Islamic extremists, the rather plain and simple truth of the matter is that violence, killing and murder is in their blood. It is a part of their nature, and it seems that they just cannot help themselves. Once al-Qaeda, always al-Qaeda. Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa has clearly shown the world that he is a violent, murderous, Islamic thug. In my view, putting a suit on, calling himself president, and smiling before the cameras, does NOT change who al-Sharaa really is. As I said a minute ago, when I saw the western liberal press already referring to him as "president" only a few days after he was appointed as the new head of the Syrian government, it made my jaw drop. And then there is President Trump.

Some people have such short memories. As the previous quoted material from the Wikipedia website states, the first thing that al-Sharaa and his Islamists did after they had deposed Bashar al-Assad -- who was definitely no saint either, by the way -- was to do what? They immediately murdered some of the opposition -- meaning the Alawites and the Christians -- in southern Syria It is my personal understanding that the only reason why the Druze were spared from the same kind of evil treatment was because they had Israeli protection in southwestern Syria.

My friends, please remember again that Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham was designated a terrorist group by the United Nations, and its members were rebel fighters who killed people. Now, all of a sudden, the terrorist designation is magically dropped, al-Sharaa puts on a suit and tie and becomes the respectable new president of Syria, and the Islamic extremists in HTS become respectable members of Syria's Ministry of Defense. Do you see what has happened? Everything has been whitewashed, and President Donald J. Trump is smiling and shaking hands with an Islamic terrorist, extremist and killer. That's why it made my jaw drop when I read the news regarding these events in Syria. Will Ahmed l-Sharaa eventually evolve into just as wicked and oppressive a leader as the Assads or as any other oppressive Middle Eastern despot?

While some of my readers may not agree with me, my suspicion, based on other world events I have watched over the decades, is that this alliance with al-Sharaa is not going to end well for President Trump. In fact, personally, I am just waiting for the Syrian double-cross. Please let me inform you that my position is NOT just based on al-Sharaa's character or history alone. Please also consider the following historical facts.

The United States government thought that they could control Saddam Hussein. They could not. He was a violent, murderous dictator and thug who killed many of his own people. On top of it all, then he tried to grab Kuwait. As we all know, in the end, he surrendered to the U.S. military, and was eventually hanged by his own people. So, in my view, choosing to befriend Saddam Hussein was not such a great idea. Furthermore, as I've also mentioned in other articles, the belief that the Iraqis would greet American soldiers with open arms and with flowers was absolutely bogus. Over 4,000 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. Given the state of Iraq today, what did those soldiers even die for? What has the American government really accomplished in Iraq?

Then there is Afghanistan and the Taliban. The United States thought that they could simply go in -- just as the Russians had also done years before that -- and tame the Taliban. Yet in the end, the United States left Afghanistan in disgrace, lost a number of American soldiers in the process, and left behind many billions of dollars of military equipment for the Taliban to use. Of course, as many of my readers will already know, the Taliban regained power in August of 2021, and they have remained in power to this very day. So what was the point of even sending American boys to die over there?

Should we go back even further to the late 1960s and the early 1970s when the United States became involved in the equally disastrous and embarrassing Vietnam War? As I explain in the article called "Why I Hate War: An Exposé on Human Violence", the United States was trying to win a war -- which it really had no business even becoming involved in, in the first place -- relying upon conventional warfare methods, while the Viet Cong were masters at guerrilla warfare. In the end, more than 58,000 American soldiers lost their lives, and many more came home maimed, in a psychological mess, etc. And Vietnam? Well, today it is STILL a communist-run nation, and also a trading partner with the United States! So again, what was the point?

Moving up to the recent past, President Donald Trump thought that he could be buddy-buddies with North Korea's communist dictator and supreme leader, Kim Jong Un. Mr. Trump apparently thought that if he just threw enough money at Kim, he would be able to convince him to surrender his nukes. Well, once again, we know exactly how that has turned out. Kim Jong Un now has more nukes than even before. Furthermore, he's snuggled up to both Vladimir Putin of Russia and to Xi Jinping of China. So, I think that it is rather clear that trying to become a friend of Kim Jong Un wasn't such an intelligent idea either. Don't you agree?

Currently, President Trump is playing footsies with, and also trying to be buddy-buddies with, Vladimir Putin of Russia, as he tries his hardest to bring an end to the destructive and wasteful Russia-Ukraine War. Well, again, it doesn't seem to be going all that well. Ukraine's president and money-sucking leech, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, refuses to make the concessions that President Trump wants. In other words, agreeing to give up the Donbas region to Russia, and agreeing that Ukraine will no longer seek membership in NATO. For their part, European leaders are siding with Ukraine, much to Mr. Trump's personal consternation.

The tragedy in this situation -- aside from all the suffering that is being experienced by the Ukrainians -- is that Putin continues to toy and play a game of cat and mouse with Trump, while at the same time, he slowly continues to grab even more Ukrainian territory in the east and south. As I've been saying for many months now, my sense has been that Donald Trump would eventually sail Ukraine down the river. Well, that seems to be what is happening right now. Trump seems to be willing to give Russia whatever it wants, if it results in peace. A failure to achieve such a lofty goal would be a major blow to Mr. Trump's pride, because as some of my readers will remember, his boast to stop the war and bring peace to Ukraine on his first day in office was one of Trump's 2024 campaign promise.

Based on a statement made by Donald Trump Jr., there is now a rumor that President Trump is so frustrated with his failure to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine, that he may just decide to simply walk away from the entire situation. Instead, the president may concentrate more of his efforts on improving the American homeland, and protecting the United States from the narco-traffickers who are arriving from South America.

So returning to Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, given everything I have just shared with you, do you now understand why I'm very doubtful regarding President Trump's association with that man, and why I think that it's a very bad decision on Trump's part? Perhaps Mr. al-Sharaa will surprise me and break out of the well-known mold. What do I mean by that? Well, just look at the Middle East and North Africa, and tell me exactly how many freely-elected and democratically-elected national leaders you see at this current time. There's your answer. Let me remind you of the verse I shared with you earlier where the Lord says through the Prophet Jeremiah that a leopard cannot change its spots. Can Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa change his spots? I am not holding my breath, because despotism is the order of the day in the Middle East.

Please note that I do partially understand President Trump's thinking and strategy. He just wants to give Ahmed al-Sharaa a chance to prove himself and to demonstrate that he's capable of being a good leader and president. But that is not all. It also does not escape me that the United States is very keen on getting a strong foothold in Syria, particularly after Bashar al-Assad was buddy-buddies with Russia. Bashar's fall came as quite a major blow to Russia, because on January 22, 2025, the new Syrian government terminated the 49-year treaty which was signed with Russia in 2017. This treaty granted Russia free access and sovereign jurisdiction over the naval facility at Tartus on the Syrian coast. Tartus was Russia's only naval support facility in the Mediterranean capable of supporting its submarines and projecting power in the region.

Furthermore, the commercial port management contract with the Russian company Stroytransgaz was also rescinded and given to a UAE-owned company instead. As a direct result of Mr. Assad's fall in December of 2024, Russian warships had to immediately depart from Tartus. This past January 2025, several Russian transport ships were denied permission to dock at Tartus for several weeks to load military equipment for evacuation. They eventually did gain brief access so that they could load the equipment before leaving Syrian waters, escorted by the rest of the Russian naval contingent. By February 2, 2025, all Russian ships previously stationed at Tartus were reported as having left the naval base.

In addition, while active Russian military vessels have ceased being stationed at Tartus, satellite images from both June and October 2025 reveal a continued -- although reduced -- Russian presence in the form of a surface combatant operating in nearby Syrian territorial waters. Russia has likewise used Tartus for resupplying its remaining airbase at Khmeimim by way of truck convoys. This suggests that some form of logistical access is still being negotiated or permitted by Syria.

Aside from the obvious fact that gaining a strong foothold in Syria would be advantageous to the United States in a military and strategic sense, it has likewise occurred to me that such a development would no doubt please Israel's Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu. After all, Israel then would not have to worry so much about its longtime enemy to the north. And let us not forget that President Donald Trump is totally in the hands of the Jews.

Let me conclude this article by simply saying that I cannot help but wonder if Syria's new "president", Ahmed al-Sharaa, may possibly be playing both ends against the middle. That is to say, he could just be playing the United States and Russia against each other, for his, and his country's own advantage. Time will certainly tell. Personally, I don't see al-Sharaa allowing both American and Russian naval vessels docking in Syrian ports. I just hope that President Trump doesn't end up looking like a fool who has been played in the end, due to his opening the doors to al-Sharaa through straight dialog, and by way of the White House meeting.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

2024 US Presidential Election: Into the Darkness

America vs. Iran: 'This Was an Act of War

America, Trump, MAGA and Peace, Safety and Prosperity

America: Land of the Free, and Hypocrisy!

Confusing Tariffs Controversy: Big Business Exposed!

Donald Trump, Gaza, and the Tyre Prophecy

False Accusation: Donald Trump Is a Warmonger!

Gaza Strip Horrors and the Trump Plan

Is Elon Musk the Antichrist?

It Is Time to Wake Up!

Killing and the Phinehas Priesthood

Killing, Murder, War and Military Duty

Obama, McCain and the Bush Legacy

President Trump and the Cashless Society

President Trump and the Golden Age

Saddam Hussein's Execution and the Euro Dollar War

Trump Fiefdom and the Trilateral World

Who is the Real Terrorist?

Why I Hate War: An Exposé on Human Violence

Why President Trump Is Not the Antichrist

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.