Visiting US President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that will “generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion,� the White House said Thursday.
Trump’s visit Wednesday to to the Gulf nation, the second stop of his Middle East trip, has highlighted the sometimes murky role played by Qatar in using its wealth to influence US policy and comes days after Doha’s offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use when he leaves office.
Trump “also announced economic deals totaling more than $243.5 billion,” the White House fact sheet said, listing a “record” order for 160 planes from Boeing, alongside deals with US energy firm McDermott, defense contractor Parsons, and quantum computing company Quantinuum.
Qatar also purchased $1 billion worth of counter-drone technology from defense giant Raytheon, making Qatar the first international buyer of the contractor’s new FS-LIDS system. US-based General Atomics, meanwhile, secured a $2 billion deal for MQ-9B drones.
The deals signed Wednesday also include a statement of intent that could lead to $38 billion in investments at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base and other air defense and maritime security capabilities, the White House said.
After a morning meeting with top US and Qatari officials and American defense and aerospace business leaders, Trump headed Thursday to the Al-Udeid Air Base, a US installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East. There, he will address troops and is expected to view a demonstration of American air capability.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg joined Trump for part of the signing ceremony, after about two hours of talks with Qatar’s Al-Thani.
The order comprises 130 Dreamliner planes and 30 Boeing 777-9 jets, which are still being certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration. There are also options for 50 additional 787 and 777X planes, according to a Boeing news release.
“It’s over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the jets. That’s fantastic. So that’s a record,” Trump said, adding: “It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That’s pretty good.”
The list prices of the 777X and 787 Dreamliner suggest the total value of the Boeing deal is well under $200 billion. The $96 billion figure in the White House factsheet also appears to include some business for GE Aerospace.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday he would hold up Trump’s Justice Department political appointees in protest over the gift of the luxury jet, saying, “This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.”
The announcement Wednesday also came as negotiations kicked off in Doha over a potential hostage-ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group.
Israel sent a delegation in the wake of Hamas releasing American-Israeli hostage soldier Edan Alexander, after indirect talks between the US and the terror group.
Qatar has long hosted Hamas leadership who receive favorable coverage on the Qatari-based Al Jazeera network.
Trump’s Qatar visit is the second destination of his Gulf tour, after a first stop in Riyadh, where he made a surprise announcement that he would lift sanctions on Syria — reportedly against the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu— and then met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, praising him as an “attractive, tough guy.”
Trump’s visit will also include a stop in the United Arab Emirates, but not one in Israel.