Former US President Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar attracted attention because, like in Saudi Arabia, he was greeted with a fighter jet escort before landing, leading to both a lavish welcome and a controversial gift offer at the start of Trump’s Middle East trip.
Trump was ceremoniously welcomed by F-15 fighter jets from both countries as he flew from Riyadh to Doha as part of his Middle East tour. Margo Martin, a White House official, recorded the moment on video and shared it on her social media accounts. The video, shared in Saudi Arabia with the note “Saudi F-15s provide honorary escort to Air Force One!”, emphasized that the Royal Saudi Air Force has the largest American-made F-15 fleet in the world after the US Air Force. On the trip to Qatar, Martin shared a post with the note “What a view while flying to Qatar!!!” and shared a frame showing one of the Qatari pilots sitting in the back seat of the F-15 taking a photo of Air Force One.
But Qatar’s efforts to influence Trump were not limited to fighter escorts. Qatar offered to gift Trump a luxurious Boeing 747-8 that the US could use as Air Force One. This offer came at a time when Boeing was building new versions of Air Force One. Trump saw the offer as a financially savvy move for the United States. However, this was heavily criticized by critics.
Critics have questioned the ethical and security implications of a president accepting such a valuable gift from a foreign government. Some commentators have called the offer “blatant corruption” and a “serious national security threat.” These criticisms have stirred public debate about Trump’s relationships with foreign governments and the potential impact of those relationships.
Trump's Middle East tour, which included these three countries, continued with a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. But Qatar’s flashy welcome ceremonies, including the gift offer and fighter jet escort, remained controversial throughout the rest of the visit, casting a broad swath of doubt over Trump’s foreign policy approach and his relationships with foreign leaders.
