Royal Who Gave Trump $400m Gold Aircraft Overtly Boards AF1

[ad_1] The Qatar Emir didn’t let Donald Trump depart the nation till the pair had time for a sit down aboard Air Power One.

En path to Malaysia forward of a diplomatic tour of Asia subsequent week, Trump stopped off for refueling Friday at Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base, the place he was briefly joined aboard Air Power One by the member of the royal household who lavished the president with a <a onclick="_sendArticleBodyInlineLinkClickAnalytics('https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-takes-free-golden-air-force-one-from-qatarand-keeps-it-after-office/')" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-takes-free-golden-air-force-one-from-qatarand-keeps-it-after-office/" target="_self" rel="" title="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-takes-free-golden-air-force-one-from-qatarand-keeps-it-after-office/">flashier plane in Might.

“As quickly as I discovered that he’s coming to refuel, I stated I’m not gonna permit him to take off except I come and say howdy to him,” Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani informed reporters whereas sitting beside the U.S. president aboard the plane. “Thanks very a lot, Mr President, it’s all the time nice seeing you.”

<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Donald Trump" class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/YOHDOOCJBRFADFQ3FVMJQPJ4OY.jpg?auth=96151b4c47dcdfd5879443b32edaae51f3b692958b4fb6d33fb955c239799cf9&width=800&height=533" srcset="https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/YOHDOOCJBRFADFQ3FVMJQPJ4OY.jpg?auth=96151b4c47dcdfd5879443b32edaae51f3b692958b4fb6d33fb955c239799cf9&width=274&height=182 274w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/YOHDOOCJBRFADFQ3FVMJQPJ4OY.jpg?auth=96151b4c47dcdfd5879443b32edaae51f3b692958b4fb6d33fb955c239799cf9&width=400&height=266 400w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/YOHDOOCJBRFADFQ3FVMJQPJ4OY.jpg?auth=96151b4c47dcdfd5879443b32edaae51f3b692958b4fb6d33fb955c239799cf9&width=768&height=511 768w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/YOHDOOCJBRFADFQ3FVMJQPJ4OY.jpg?auth=96151b4c47dcdfd5879443b32edaae51f3b692958b4fb6d33fb955c239799cf9&width=1024&height=682 1024w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/YOHDOOCJBRFADFQ3FVMJQPJ4OY.jpg?auth=96151b4c47dcdfd5879443b32edaae51f3b692958b4fb6d33fb955c239799cf9&width=1440&height=959 1440w" width="800" height="533"/> Trump invited the Emir of Qatar aboard Air Power One throughout a stop-off within the nation en-route to Malaysia. Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Photographs Trump was all smiles. “Effectively, the Emir is among the nice rulers of the world, not simply the Center East. He’s beloved and revered by his nation,” the president stated. “We’ve carried out rather a lot collectively, particularly within the final yr. What we’ve carried out is unbelievable, peace within the Center East. They usually have been a really large think about it, so I simply need to thanks.”

Earlier this month, the Trump administration brokered a brief ceasefire to the battle in Gaza, specializing in the trade of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages, the easing of blockades and facilitating the distribution of help.

Whereas critics query the longevity of that association, given lingering uncertainty over phrases of an enduring peace and Israel’s alleged violation of the present keep in hostilities on a number of events since, the MAGA White Home has sung Qatar’s praises for its pivotal function as a mediator and financier of the deal.

<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="The plane Trump accepted as a gift from Qatar sits on a tarmac." class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/TMOXLFF2FRHAPIXIHLLNN4FCEY.jpg?auth=ecee3fa04a16989fd2819b7bc7e54163f554e749a7982bab8fe2d99a0090a9ba&width=800&height=533" srcset="https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/TMOXLFF2FRHAPIXIHLLNN4FCEY.jpg?auth=ecee3fa04a16989fd2819b7bc7e54163f554e749a7982bab8fe2d99a0090a9ba&width=274&height=182 274w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/TMOXLFF2FRHAPIXIHLLNN4FCEY.jpg?auth=ecee3fa04a16989fd2819b7bc7e54163f554e749a7982bab8fe2d99a0090a9ba&width=400&height=266 400w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/TMOXLFF2FRHAPIXIHLLNN4FCEY.jpg?auth=ecee3fa04a16989fd2819b7bc7e54163f554e749a7982bab8fe2d99a0090a9ba&width=768&height=511 768w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/TMOXLFF2FRHAPIXIHLLNN4FCEY.jpg?auth=ecee3fa04a16989fd2819b7bc7e54163f554e749a7982bab8fe2d99a0090a9ba&width=1024&height=682 1024w, https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/TMOXLFF2FRHAPIXIHLLNN4FCEY.jpg?auth=ecee3fa04a16989fd2819b7bc7e54163f554e749a7982bab8fe2d99a0090a9ba&width=1440&height=959 1440w" width="800" height="533"/> Trump's relations with the Emir have confronted scrutiny after the repressive Gulf state gifted him a $400 million jet earlier in Might. Roberto Schmidt/Getty Photographs Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million aircraft from the Qatari state—which has confronted fierce worldwide criticism for human rights abuses over years, significantly regarding migrant labor, freedom of expression and LGBTQ+ rights—got here as he introduced a $1.2 trillion financial partnership between D.C. and Doha, elevating issues over potential battle of curiosity.

His heat ties to the Qatari Emir mark a big departure from relations throughout his first stint within the White Home. In June 2017, he expressed help for a blockade in opposition to the nation by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt over Qatar’s alleged help for extremist teams within the area.

“Qatar has traditionally been a funder of terrorism at a really excessive stage,” the president then said in remarks made at a White Home Rose Backyard look. “The time had come to name on Qatar to finish its funding… and its extremist ideology,” he went on, doubling down on these sentiments when he informed crowds in Iowa at a rally three days later: “We can't let these extremely wealthy nations fund radical Islamic terror or terrorism of any type.”