Donald Trump gushes over Qatar leader who is giving him a free luxury jet
He sat down with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, at the start of a state visit to the state, lavishing him with praise - both for his "friendship" to the US and for the exquisite marbling of his palace
Donald Trump gushed over the leader of Qatar - who is giving him a free luxury jet worth $400 million.
The US President landed in Doha this morning on the second day of his three-day tour of the Middle East.
He sat down with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, at the start of a state visit to the state, lavishing him with praise - both for his "friendship" to the US and for the exquisite marbling of his palace.
Qatar has long been criticised for criminalising homosexuality, with prison sentences of up to seven years or death by stoning.
A 2022 Human Rights Watch report found Qatari security forces continue to arrest citizens who are gay, lesbian, and transgender, sometimes forcing them to undergo conversion therapy.
Qatar says the report contains false allegations.
The oil-and-gas rich country has offered to provide Trump with the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the US could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing.
The Qatari government has said a final decision hasn't been made. But Trump has defended the idea even as critics argue it would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government.
Trump has indicated he would refurbish the aircraft and it would later be donated to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he leaves office.
"We've been friends for a long time, hard to believe, right?" Trump told Sheikh al Thani as they sat down together today.
"I remember our first meeting very well, and we've liked each other and we've worked with each other and now we can work in the highest capacity."
He went on: "I just want to thank you for everything, and maybe in particular our friendship, it's been a very loyal, great, beautiful friendship and the job you've done is second to none."
Looking around at the interior of al Thani's palace, he said: "You look at this and it's so beautiful. As a construction person I'm seeing perfect marble. This is what they call 'perfecto'.
"It's just such a great job you've done, and what a beautiful place."
He also said he appreciated "those camels", adding that he hadn't "seen camels like that in a long time."
Earlier, President Trump met with the interim leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa — who as an insurgent had spent years imprisoned by U.S. troops in Iraq.
Trump said the rapprochement with Syria came at the urging of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"There is a new government that will hopefully succeed," said Trump, who announced he'll move to lift sanctions on Syria to give the country "a chance at peace."
"I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special," Trump said.
He later described al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past."
Sheikh al Thani also revealed he would be sharing tips with Trump on how to run the World Cup, which the US will be hosting next year.
Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp!
As tension between the White House and Europe heats up, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond.
We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in.
All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group.
We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The 2022 World Cup was widely criticised over the brutal conditions suffered by migrant workers building the country's stadiums.
FIFA was slammed over a last-minute decision to hand out yellow cards to European captains who continued to wear rainbow arm bands.
Security officials confiscated items of rainbow clothing and flags featuring rainbows. And American journalist Grant Wahl was briefly detained for wearing a t-shirt with a rainbow on it.
"You're going to be hosting the World Cup, football, as you guys call it soccer," Sheikh al Thani told Trump.
"You're also going to be hosting the Olympics as well, which is very very important. The two biggest sports events.
"We were very lucky that in 2022 we had the World Cup here in Qatar. And there wasn't one incident during the World Cup. We had 1.5 million people during these couple of weeks and not one incident.
"We're also sharing our experience on how to deal with the World Cup with your security forces, we have people visiting each other."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Starmer to chair Cobra meeting amid confusion over advice to Britons in Israel
The high-level meeting follows the Prime Minister's return from the G7 summit in Canada at which he and other world leaders reiterated their 'commitment to peace and stability' but stopped short of calling for a truce between Israel and Iran. But reports have also suggested US President Donald Trump is considering joining Israeli action against Iran after he left the G7 summit a day early to meet with military chiefs. Wednesday's Cobra meeting comes amid confusion over whether British nationals should remain in Israel after the Foreign Office withdrew family members of embassy staff from the country. The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) The Foreign Office said the withdrawal was temporary and a 'precautionary measure', with staff remaining at both the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: 'Our embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem remain fully staffed and continue to provide consular services to those who require assistance.' But Downing Street would not say whether British nationals should attempt to leave the country. Asked whether British nationals should leave Israel, a Number 10 spokesman would only say that the Government's 'key message' was to 'follow the advice of local authorities on staying close to shelter'. Britons have already been advised against all travel to Israel, and those already in the country have been urged to register their presence with the embassy. The Number 10 spokesman added: 'This is a fast-moving situation. We are keeping all our advice under constant review and the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) continues to plan for a variety of developments as you would expect.' The decision to withdraw family members of embassy staff comes as Israel's air campaign against Iran entered its sixth day, with jets striking the Iranian capital Tehran overnight. Israeli military chiefs said the air strikes targeted a facility used to make uranium centrifuges, part of Iran's nuclear programme, and a factory building missile components. Tehran has accused Tel Aviv of attacking civilians, while US-based group Human Rights Activists said on Wednesday that Israeli bombardment had killed 585 people in Iran, including 239 civilians. Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran (AP Photo) In response, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, killing at least 24 people. But its response appeared to diminish on Tuesday night, with only 10 missiles intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome. Meanwhile, Mr Trump is reported to be considering whether to deploy American forces in support of Israel's operations against Iran. Mr Trump met with top military advisers on Tuesday night to discuss the situation, shortly after a series of social media posts in which he described Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as an 'easy target'. He later posted the words 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER', prompting Mr Khamenei to warn that any American military involvement would result in 'irreparable damage' to the US. The posts followed Mr Trump's decision to leave the G7 conference in Canada a day early to deal with what he called 'big stuff', triggering speculation that American forces might join Israeli strikes. Earlier, Sir Keir Starmer had insisted Mr Trump was interested in de-escalation in the Middle East, saying 'nothing' he had heard from the president suggested Washington was poised to get involved. Asked whether the Prime Minister was still confident that Mr Trump would not involve US forces in the conflict, a Number 10 spokesman said the UK's position was still that 'we want to de-escalate rather than escalate'.
Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Pakistan's army chief to meet Trump after conflict with India defused
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to have lunch with Pakistani armed forces chief Asim Munir at the White House on Wednesday, according to Trump's official schedule. The rare one-on-one meeting between a Pakistani military chief and a U.S. president could rile India after the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals in South Asia for decades, which Trump took responsibility for helping defuse. Pakistan's foreign ministry and the military's media wing did not reply to requests for comment on the White House meeting and it was not immediately clear what would be discussed at the lunch, which was closed to the press. Trump said last month India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by Washington, and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Trump late on Tuesday that the ceasefire was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not U.S. mediation, according to India's most senior diplomat. Pakistan has thanked Washington for its role in the mediation efforts last month. The military has ruled Pakistan for at least three decades since independence in 1947 and has wielded extraordinary influence even with a civilian government in office.
Sky News
43 minutes ago
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Starmer calls emergency COBRA meeting - as Iranian leader hits back at Trump
Iran's supreme leader has hit back at Donald Trump's "ridiculous" threats, as the US president reportedly considers a possible strike. Keir Starmer has called an emergency COBRA meeting as the conflict escalates. Listen to the latest episode of The World as you scroll.
