Qatar gift of $400m jet highlights list of business links to Donald Trump and his cronies
Concerns and criticisms rise as president's sons negotiate deals with Middle Eastern country that will directly enrich the family fortunes
The furore over Qatar possibly giving the US a $400m (€357m) Boeing jet for Donald Trump to use as a replacement for Air Force One has highlighted administration figures' thicket of concerning business connections to the country, as Trump prepares to visit the US ally during his Middle East tour this week.
Last month, the Trump Organization, run by Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr, announced a deal with developers Dar Global and Qatari Diar to build a Trump International Golf Club featuring 18 holes and a series of Trump-branded luxury villas within a larger government development.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Star
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Star
ABC's Terry Moran abruptly axed after unhinged 7-word attack on Trump aide Stephen Miller
ABC put Terry Moran, who notoriously scored a chaotic White House interview , on suspension after a brutal late night rant. The reporter wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter , he took aim at President Donald Trump's aide Stephen Miller , noting he was 'richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.' The White House staffer is the deputy chief of staff for policy, working closely with the controversial presidential administration. Terry further wrote in since-deleted posts, "The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism. Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy. But that's not what's interesting about Miller. Read More Related Articles Bruce Springsteen brings Paul McCartney on stage as he continues Trump row Read More Related Articles Pierce Brosnan thinks his co-star should be the next James Bond 'It's not brains. It's bile. Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He's a world-class hate. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate. Terry previously interviewed the president in the Oval Office (Image: AP) 'Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred only a means to an end, and that end his his own glorification. That's his spiritual nourishment.' A spokesperson told the New York Post, 'ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others. The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards — as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation." The suspension comes after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made a public call for action. She wrote, "Last night, in a since deleted post, so-called 'journalist' @TerryMoran went on a rampage against Stephen Miller and called President Trump 'a world class hater.' This is unhinged and unacceptable. We have reached out to @ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable." President JD Vance cut in on the drama, too. Online, he wrote, 'An ABC journalist posted this absolutely vile smear of Stephen Miller. It's dripping with hatred. Remember that every time you watch ABC's coverage of the Trump administration." Previously, Terry got the inside scoop by scoring a sit down interview in the Oval Office with Trump. However, the conversation turned a bit tense as Terry pushed back at some of Trump's more outlandish claims, especially the allegations that Abrego Garcia tattooed "MS-13" on his knuckles. Terry pointed out that this was, in fact, an unfounded claim. Trump, though, pointed toward an image depiction, which, as Terry pointed out, was obviously photoshopped. Trump was adamant the photo was not photoshopped. During their conversation, Trump said, "Hey they're giving you the big break of a lifetime, you know you're doing the interview, I picked you because frankly I'd never heard of you, but thats okay, I picked you but Terry you're not being very nice." For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
National Guard arrives in LA on Trump's orders to quell protests against immigration raids
National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday on orders from president Donald Trump , in response to clashes in recent days between federal immigration authorities and protesters seeking to block them from carrying out deportations. Members of California's National Guard were seen mobilising at the federal complex in central Los Angeles that includes the Metropolitan Detention Centre, one of several sites that have seen confrontations involving hundreds of people in last two days. The troops included members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to a social media post from the Department of Defence that showed dozens of National Guard members with long guns and an armoured vehicle. Mr Trump has said he is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he called 'a form of rebellion'. READ MORE The deployment was limited to a small area in central Los Angeles. The protests have been relatively small and limited to that area. The rest of the city of four million people is largely unaffected. Their arrival follows clashes near a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, south of Los Angeles. As protesters sought to block Border Patrol vehicles, some hurling rocks and chunks of cement, federal agents unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls. Tensions were high after a series of sweeps by immigration authorities the previous day, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed past 100. A prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement. Members of the National Guard stand guard in front of the Federal building in downtown Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images On Sunday, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said the National Guard would 'keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order'. In a signal of the administration's aggressive approach, defence secretary Pete Hegseth also threatened to deploy active-duty marines 'if violence continues' in the region. The move came over the objections of governor Gavin Newsom , marking the first time in decades that a state's national guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Centre for Justice. Mr Newsom, a Democrat, said Mr Trump's decision to call in the National Guard was 'purposefully inflammatory'. He described Mr Hegseth's threat to deploy marines on American soil as 'deranged behaviour'. Mr Trump's order came after clashes in Paramount and neighbouring Compton, where a car was set on fire. [ Riot police and anti-ICE protesters clash in Los Angeles after immigration raids Opens in new window ] Protests continued into the evening in Paramount, with several hundred demonstrators gathered near a doughnut shop, and authorities holding up barbed wire to keep the crowd back. Crowds also gathered again outside federal buildings in central Los Angeles, including a detention centre, where police declared an unlawful assembly and began to arrest people. – AP
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
National Guard troops begin arriving in Los Angeles after Trump order to quell protests
LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS began arriving in Los Angeles early Sunday after being ordered there by US President Donald Trump, a rare deployment against the state governor's wishes after sometimes violent protests against immigration enforcement raids. Trump took federal control of California's state military to push soldiers into the country's second-biggest city, a decision deemed 'purposefully inflammatory' by California Governor Gavin Newsom and of a kind not seen for decades. Helmeted troops carrying automatic weapons and handing out shields could be seen near city hall in footage from ABC News' local affiliate in the California city early Sunday, ahead of more protests expected by the afternoon. The development came after two days of confrontations during which federal agents fired flash-bang grenades and tear gas toward crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population. Republicans lined up behind Trump Sunday to dismiss warnings by Newsom and other local officials that the protests had been largely peaceful, and that the deployment was against their wishes and would exacerbate tensions. 'I have no concern about that at all,' Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC's 'This Week' when asked, adding that Newsom 'has shown an inability or unwillingness to do what is necessary there, so the president stepped in.' As for threats by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday to send in active-duty Marines on top of the Guard troops, Johnson said he did not see that as 'heavy-handed.' 'We have to be prepared to do what is necessary,' he argued. Federal authorities 'want a spectacle. Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,' Newsom had posted on X late Saturday. 'We agree that if you're being violent, you should be arrested … But this is not what's happening,' California Congresswoman Nanette Barragan told CNN Sunday. 'We are having an administration that's targeting peaceful protests … The president is sending the National Guard because he doesn't like the scenes,' the Democrat said. Overnight a photographer for news organisation AFP saw fires and fireworks light up the streets during clashes, while a protester holding a Mexican flag stood in front of a burnt-out car that had been sprayed with a slogan against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. 'It's up to us to stand up for our people,' said a Los Angeles resident whose parents are immigrants, declining to give her name. 'Whether we get hurt, whether they gas us, whatever they're throwing at us. They're never going to stop us. All we have left is our voice,' she told AFP as emergency services lights flashed in the distance. Protesters face off with California Highway Patrol officers during a protest against ICE and immigration raids on the Alvarado Boulevard Long Beach Freeway in Paramount. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs.' 'Purposefully inflammatory' The National Guard – a reserve military – is frequently used in natural disasters, like in the aftermath of the LA fires, and occasionally in instances of civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local politicians. That was not the case on Saturday. Newsom, a frequent foil for Trump and a long-time foe of the Republican, took to social media to decry the White House order. 'That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,' he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Advertisement 'The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles – not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.' Los Angeles County Sheriffs stand during a protest in Compton. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to ramp up tensions further, warning that nearby regular military forces could get involved. 'If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized – they are on high alert,' he wrote on social media. Law professor Jessica Levinson said Hegseth's intervention appeared symbolic because of the general legal restriction on the use of the US military as a domestic policing force in the absence of an insurrection. 'At this moment, it's not using the Insurrection Act,' she said, rather Trump was relying on what is known as Title 10. 'The National Guard will be able to do (no) more than provide logistical (and) personnel support.' Arrests Since taking office in January, Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants – who he has likened to 'monsters' and 'animals.' The Department for Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles this week had resulted in the arrest of '118 aliens, including five gang members.' A demonstrator waves an American and Mexican flag during a protest in Compton. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility, which the local mayor said was being used as a staging post by agents. On Friday, masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were 'feeling fear' following the federal immigration enforcement actions. 'Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,' she said on X. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday's clashes. 'You bring chaos, and we'll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,' he said on X. On Saturday, amid chants for ICE agents to get out, some protesters waved Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire, the Los Angeles Times reported. Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts served as crude roadblocks. The White House has taken a hard line against the protests, with deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller calling them 'an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.' © AFP 2025
