FILE PHOTO: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sits before a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (unseen) at the presidential palace in Cairo August 2, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski
CAIRO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Friendly phone calls, an invite to the White House, a focus on Islamic militancy and what Donald Trump called "chemistry" have set the tone for a new era of warmer U.S.-Egyptian ties that could herald more military and political support for Cairo.
The mutual admiration dates back to a U.N. meeting in September, when then-presidential candidate Trump found common ground with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's hard line on extremism. Trump described the ex-general, who rights groups criticise as authoritarian and repressive, as a "fantastic guy".
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