While meeting with Trump at the White House on September 15, Patriarch Bartholomew (seated in the center) is accompanied by key figures. To his immediate left sits Elpidophoros, formerly the director of the closed Halki Seminary and now the Archbishop of North America, originally from Bakırköy, İstanbul. At the head of the seating arrangement is Vice President Vance. Although a meeting between Erdoğan and Trump is not yet scheduled as part of the UN Summit, given the ongoing Turkish-US contradictions about Gaza-Israel and Syria-PKK, not holding such a meeting may actually serve Turkish interests better. (Photo: Instagram)
On September 15, while domestic attention in Türkiye was focused on the CHP’s “absolute nullity” case, U.S. President Donald Trump received Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his delegation at the White House. The Patriarch’s itinerary for September 16 included a breakfast at the Turkish Embassy, a luncheon at the Greek Embassy, and a dinner hosted by the U.S. Department of State. Speaking to members of the press at his hotel, the Patriarch stated that his meeting with President Trump covered the situation of Christian minorities in Türkiye, as well as regional issues, particularly developments in Ukraine.
In this context, I inquired with official sources in Ankara as to whether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with President Trump during his visit to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly. According to diplomatic circles, is it accurate that such a meeting is being considered for September 29 or 30?
Is a Meeting Between Erdoğan and Trump on the Agenda?
There had, in fact, been talk of President Erdoğan being invited to the White House this past May—specifically on May 9. However, that visit did not materialize. Various speculations have since circulated in diplomatic circles regarding the reasons for this. One such claim is that the visit was derailed when Mike Waltz—who was later dismissed by President Trump—failed to convey in a timely manner to Trump a preliminary agreement reached with President Erdoğan’s Chief Advisor on Foreign and Security Policy, Akif Çağatay Kılıç. Another theory suggests that the American side proposed a meeting without any press availability, which Ankara found unacceptable.
Ultimately, the Erdoğan–Trump meeting took place not in a bilateral setting, as had been the case with President Joe Biden for four years, but rather on the sidelines of a NATO Summit.
Now, with the United Nations General Assembly approaching, the question is once again relevant.
General Practice at the UN General Assembly
The UN General Assembly is held in New York. U.S. Presidents typically host a formal dinner for attending heads of state. Except in very exceptional cases, American presidents do not hold individual meetings with world leaders in New York, aside from brief interactions at the dinner. This is due to the high number of requests for such meetings.
Therefore, it appears that Trump will meet with selected leaders either before or after the UN Summit, and most likely in Washington, D.C.
Yet, the central question remains:
Will a meeting between President Erdoğan and President Trump take place, whether in New York or Washington?
No Apparent Diplomatic Gain
Here is a summary of the responses I have received from official sources in Ankara, with the caveat of “as of now” emphasized:
- The President’s visit to the U.S. for the UN General Assembly is currently scheduled as a draft program from September 21–24, with New York as the only planned stop. A visit to Washington, D.C. is not currently foreseen.
- Not only with Trump, but also with other leaders, bilateral meeting schedules have not yet been finalized.
- As one source put it, “Our President is not going to wait around for a week just to meet with Trump,” and no meeting at the White House appears on the current draft schedule.
Of course, this is politics. Things can change at the last minute. The phrase “as of now” is used precisely to allow for such eventualities.
Would It Serve Turkish Interests?
There is an unusual dynamic at play in this second Trump era. Anticipating the reactions of those in Türkiye who equate foreign policy success with being granted an audience by the U.S. President, one must ask:
Given the current global and regional context, would an Erdoğan–Trump meeting serve Türkiye’s national interests?
President Trump’s manner of engaging with foreign leaders is well documented. He has not only been dismissive toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, but also shown a similar attitude toward several European leaders.
Better Not to Push the Issue
Some of the sources I spoke with remarked, “Trump wouldn’t do that to Erdoğan; he respects him, they have a strong relationship.” However, when reminded of the undiplomatic letter Trump sent Erdoğan during his first term, the response often changed to “You’re not wrong.”
The truth is, Trump is unpredictable. And Erdoğan, as is well known, can be equally uncompromising—as demonstrated in the well-remembered “One Minute” incident.
At present, numerous unresolved issues exist between Türkiye and the United States: from the situation in Gaza and Israel’s broader aggression, to the entangled matters of Syria, the SDF, and the PKK, as well as the complications surrounding defense procurement and arms sales. Despite these tensions, a broader crisis in Türkiye’s relations with the Western alliance—particularly NATO—has been largely avoided, due to Türkiye’s strategic contributions in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and beyond.
Given these dynamics, it may be in Türkiye’s best interest not to insist too strongly on arranging a high-profile Erdoğan–Trump meeting.
