President Donald Trump’s arrival in Ankara, Turkey, for the annual NATO summit was marked by a full-on celebration led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As Trump deplaned Tuesday afternoon local time at Etimesgut Air Base, he was met with a turquoise carpet, akin to the red carpet used in the United States to welcome dignitaries, along with Erdogan and members of the Turkish military who waited to greet him. Trump shook Erdogan’s hand and gave him a squeeze on his shoulder before they posed for photos. They briefly chatted, although the press could not hear the conversation.
An hour later, Trump and Erdogan appeared together again at the Bestepe Presidential Complex, where a more elaborate greeting was planned for the American president.
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<p> ” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp?w=696″ src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp” alt=”President Donald Trump with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.” class=”wp-image-4638698″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp?resize=768,512 768w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp?resize=150,100 150w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato.webp?resize=696,464 696w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”><figcaption class=)
President Donald Trump with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during an arrival ceremony at the Bestepe Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)There was another turquoise carpet that the two leaders walked down together as a brass band with drums played several musical selections, including “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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<p> ” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp?w=696″ src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp” alt=”President Donald Trump walks by an honor guard with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Complex.” class=”wp-image-4638699″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp?resize=768,512 768w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp?resize=150,100 150w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trump-welcomed-with-pomp-and-pageantry-by-turkeys-erdogan-at-nato-1.webp?resize=696,464 696w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”><figcaption class=)
President Donald Trump walks by an honor guard with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Complex during a welcome for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)Soldiers in formal dress lined both sides of the blue carpet, cannons blasted off in honor of Trump, and four red fighter jets took off trailing red, white, and blue smoke, the American flag colors, during the arrival ceremony.
Trump and Erdogan shook hands, and later on, Trump gave a brief salute to the band.
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At a bilateral conference, Trump praised Erdogan, who he claimed was the main reason he even attended the NATO summit this week.
“As everybody knows, it’s been very much reported, we are great friends,” said Trump. “The president has done an incredible job, just landing at the airport to see such a beautiful airport, and to have a building named after me, I was very happy about that. It was very nice. The airport is absolutely beautiful.”
