Trump Middle East Trip: Qatar Airways Inks Jet Deal With Boeing

Forbes

Qatar Airways will buy 210 jets from Boeing, the companies announced Wednesday during President Donald Trump’s visit there, as Trump is expected to accept a $400 million jet from the country, despite bipartisan criticism of security and conflict-of-interest concerns.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/05/14/trump-meets-emir-of-qatar-as-he-insists-on-gifted-plane-amid-qatar-a-lago-criticism/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

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00:00Qatar Airways will buy 160 jets from Boeing, the companies announced Wednesday during President

00:06Donald Trump's visit there, as Trump is expected to accept a $400 million jet from the country,

00:12despite bipartisan criticism of security and conflict of interest concerns.

00:17Trump traveled to Qatar Wednesday afternoon following a two-day stop in Saudi Arabia.

00:22There, Trump announced the Saudis agreed to invest an additional $600 billion in the U.S.,

00:28including a $142 billion defense contract and billions of dollars in artificial intelligence

00:34development.

00:36Boeing signed the agreement alongside Trump and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tameen bin Hamad

00:42Ali Tani, shortly after Trump's arrival there, his second stop on a four-day tour of the region

00:48where the U.S. and American business executives evinked billions in deals.

00:53The visit comes as Qatar has offered to donate a $400 million luxury jet for Trump's use

00:59while Boeing builds new Air Force Ones.

01:02Trump, who has a well-known fascination with large jets, has insisted he will accept the

01:08gift despite growing bipartisan concerns, even among some of his staunchest supporters, telling

01:14reporters earlier this week he would be quote-unquote stupid not to take the plane.

01:19Trump's gift, a Boeing 747-8, has largely overshadowed his visit to the Middle East.

01:27Both Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns that the plane, which could be the

01:31largest foreign gift to the federal government in history, could tee Trump up for a quid pro

01:36quo situation with the Qatari government or present security risks.

01:42Ahead of Wednesday's visit, he defended the expected gift on Truth Social, sharing a post

01:47comparing it to the Resolute Desk, a gift from the UK's Queen Victoria, and the Statue of

01:53Liberty, a gift from France.

01:55He questioned in another post, quote,

01:58Why should our military and therefore our taxpayers be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars

02:04when they can get it for free?

02:06Adding that,

02:07Only a fool would not accept this gift.

02:11As Trump spends the day in Qatar, the Democratic National Committee said it will fly a Qatar-a-Lago

02:17banner near Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.

02:22For more on these stories, check out Sarah Dorn's articles linked in the description.

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