Trump to Erdogan: Greek Orthodox Church Wants Help
Meeting touched on defense, trade, and the reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met for more than two hours at the White House Thursday in a wide-ranging discussion covering defense cooperation, regional conflicts, and trade.
Both leaders described the Oval Office talks as positive, with Trump calling them “great.” Erdogan told reporters beforehand that the agenda included the reopening of the Greek Orthodox seminary of Halki and U.S. sales of F-35 and F-16 fighter jets. He said Turkey was “ready to do whatever we can on our side” and planned to discuss the issue further with Pat. Bartholomew. The Patriarch is himself a graduate of the seminary that was shut down due to oppressive Turkish laws decades ago.
Trump confirmed the matter had already been raised in his earlier meeting with Pat. Bartholomew, noting, “The Greek Orthodox Church was here and they would really like some help, and I said I would bring it up.”
It is worth noting that Erdogan has made empty promises in regard to the reopening of the seminary and the improvement of the situation of Orthodox Christians in Turkey in the past.
Previously, UOJ reported that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople met with President Donald J. Trump at the White House on Monday, September 15, 2025, marking the sixth U.S. president he has visited.
