What to know about Trump's history with Qatar, which wants to gift him a plane
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President Trump and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during an Oval Office meeting at the White House July 9, 2019. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Qatari royal family's willingness to transfer a jet worth roughly $400 million to the U.S. to temporarily serve as Air Force One is just one aspect of President Trump's financial entanglement with the Middle Eastern nation.
Why it matters: Trump's namesake business recently signed a deal to develop a golf course and luxury villas on Qatar's Eastern coastline, blurring the lines between America's diplomatic ties and Trump's personal financial interests.
Driving the news: Trump seemingly confirmed the luxury jet talks with the Qatari government, first reported by ABC News, in a Sunday Truth Social post, rejecting notions the U.S. should pay for the plane.
- "So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," he wrote.
State of play: Trump will visit Qatar this week during his Middle East trip, which includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- He wants to return with $1 trillion worth of deals and investment pledges, Axios' Barak Ravid, Alison Snyder and Marc Caputo reported.
- The foreign trip highlights the administration's focus on economic cooperation and investments between the U.S. and Gulf countries.
- But ethics experts note it's an area where his family's business interests and his political goals overlap.
Here is a brief overview of Trump's past relationship with Qatar:
Relations during Trump 1.0
During the first Trump administration, Qatar sought to strengthen its relationship with the U.S., with its investment authority looking to increase its U.S. investment portfolio by around $15 billion over two years.
- Qatar's 2019 investment announcement coincided with the second round of dialogue between the Trump administration and Doha. The first round was held in D.C. in January 2018.
- Qatar in 2019 said it would purchase Boeing aircraft, which Trump applauded at the time as a "large transaction."
- On Trump's upcoming trip, Axios previously reported, the Qataris are expected to announce $200-300 billion in deals and investments.
Flashback: During Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE's years-long boycott of Qatar, Trump criticized Qatar for funding terrorism "at a very high level" — while his then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged dialogue and raised concerns about the blockade's impact on military operations.
- Trump tweeted at the time "that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!"
- He continued, "So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding...extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!"
Trump world's deep Qatari ties
Trump's orbit during his first and second administration featured advisers with ties to Qatar.
- Trump picked Pam Bondi for attorney general, who reportedly made more than $100,000 a month lobbying for Qatar.
- Son-in-law Jared Kushner's private equity firm, which he formed after leaving the first Trump White House, has taken money from wealth funds in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, the New York Times reported.
- Kushner was in the room when a deal was signed to restore diplomatic relations between Qatar and the nations boycotting it in 2021, CNN reported.
- Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago last fall.
Trump Organization and Qatari relations
The latest: The Trump Organization has several active projects in the Gulf Region, ABC reported.
- Just weeks ago, Eric Trump reached a deal with state-owned Qatari Diar and Dar Global, a Saudi Arabian partner, to develop the new Trump International Golf Club north of the capital Doha.
- The site will include a "luxury 18-hole golf course, golf club and an exclusive collection of Trump-branded luxury villas," per a news release.
What they're saying: Eric Trump, the executive vice president of The Trump Organization, said in a statement that "[w]e are incredibly proud to expand the Trump brand into Qatar" through the project.
- The AP reported that the foreign deal was the first by the Trump family company since the president returned to office.
Go deeper: Israel lobbying Trump to visit during Middle East trip
