Trump Must Reject Qatar’s Dubious ‘Flying Palace’ Offer

Peloni:  A very important article, which gives a good assessment of Trump’s Gulf Tour.   Ignoring the attack on the values and interests which made America into the strong and vibrant society which led the West to defeat the twin threats of Nazism and Communism, will only cede a similar victory as Trump’s Gulf allies march forward in their quest of establishing a world dominating caliphate.  Trump has the power of his office, and the influence of a presidential bully pulpit, the power of which is likely never been present in US history before, and from this position of power and influence he has demonstrated a specific lack of clarity of the threat emanating from these very same gulf nations with whom he has come to be so tightly associated.  Rather than praising these nations, he should be openly challenging there attempts to corrupt, divide and re-imagine American values as well as blocking the encroaching efforts to promote the establishment of an Islamist caliphate.

by Con Coughlin  •  Gatestone Institute  •   May 18, 2025 at 5:00 am

Given the Qataris’ history of double-dealing with the West, negotiating lucrative contracts with Western firms while at the same time funding Islamist terror groups, US President Donald Trump would be well-advised to reconsider their gift of a $400 million luxury jet and reject this highly questionable offer. Pictured: The Boeing 747 that Qatar intends to give as a gift to Trump sits in Palm Beach International Airport on February 15, 2025. (Photo by The White House from Washington, DC – President Trump Meets with the Amir of Qatar, Public Domain)

• [Trump’s] soft approach, however, to the Saudi Crown Prince — that he was welcome to join the Abraham Accords “in your own time” — could easily be a “never”….

• “This is Qatar’s classic game: support the Islamist terrorists and then present itself as a mediator, liaison, and even peacemaker – the arsonist playing firefighter. As in Afghanistan, as in Egypt in 2010, and as in every Muslim country.” — Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli intelligence officer and founder and president of the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), May 15, 2025.
• “Mr. Trump revealed the essential philosophy behind his foreign-policy decisions: He hates war and loves gold. That’s it. To hear it fully, to get near its meaning and debate its sufficiency, you had to step over so much broken glass. ‘Flying Palace’ Violates Emoluments Clause. Sons Enjoy Steep Profits From Trump Presidency.” — Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2025.
• If Trump is really serious about achieving his goal of bringing peace to Gaza, then his first course of action should be to persuade the Qataris to end their funding of Hamas, which has allowed it to maintain its murderous war against Israel. Trump should also once again demand that Qatar’s client, Hamas, release all remaining hostages by the end of the week.
• “The President is offering a foreign-policy realism built on commerce, but shorn of American idealism.” — Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, May 16, 2025.
• Also, what precedent is being set? Would the first gesture toward all future administrations be to bestow lavish tributes on the president and his family members to gain preferential treatment from the US?
• Trump’s political rivals may well be hoping that their chance has finally come to impeach him again — this time with $400 million dollars’ worth of evidence. “Sorry,” the New York Post noted, “this ‘gift’ is far from free; Qatar will surely expect something in return.”
• Trump would be well-advised to reconsider their gift of a luxury jet and reject this highly questionable offer.

If US President Donald Trump is really serious about bringing peace to the Middle East, then he should rethink again accepting the gift of a luxury $400 million aircraft from the rulers of Qatar. The country is renowned for its continuing support for Islamist terror groups, for continuing to fan the flames that would reignite the fundamentalist Arab Spring, for anti-US terrorist activity and for attacks on the US.

Far from being allies of the US, the Qataris have, in recent years, done their level best to undermine American efforts to bring peace to and stability to the Middle East, not to mention radicalising US higher education. The Middle East Forum’s Benjamin Baird has detailed how, since 2012, “Qatar’s $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions.”

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