Successful diplomacy can only be negotiated from a position of strength. President Donald Trump honored that credo Thursday when he visited U.S. troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, praising their crucial role in regional security while saluting America’s ongoing commitment to ending – not beginning – conflicts.
The Qatari base currently houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
AP reports Trump started his 48-minute speech by thanking troops and discussing his four-day whirlwind Mideast trip thus far, before addressing America’s military power and how it can be used to stem conflicts before they begin.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump seen on stage as he tours the Al Udeid Air Base on May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. Trump is on the third day of his visit to the Gulf to underscore the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Qatar, focusing on regional security and economic collaboration. (Win McNamee/Getty)
Trump said he rejects the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region while acknowledging military strength remains a critical factor in favor of the U.S.:
As president, my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners. And this is one of our great partners right here [in Qatar].
When we’re threatened, America’s military will answer our enemies without even thinking about it. We have overwhelming strength and devastating force.
He further promised “substantial pay raises” for military service members as a reward for their work, observing Americans should do more to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi tyranny in World War II.
His talk was a continuation of comments made at an earlier U.S.-Saudi investment forum where he told people in the room too many previous U.S. presidents used American foreign policy to “dispense justice” to other nations rather seek deliver peace.
Trump: Far Too Many U.S. Presidents Used Foreign Policy to “Dispense Justice”
The president pointed to several people in the crowd and waved after his address, the AP report notes, before raising his fist in the air heading off stage as service members rushed to capture his exit with their phones.
The Washington Post reports in his speech ahead of Trump’s appearance at the base, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blamed several major international crises in recent years on “wokeness and weakness.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addresses troops at the Al-Udeid air base in Doha on May 15, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty)
“Sadly, over the last four years, we saw a collapse in Afghanistan, and what happened on Oct. 7, the war in Ukraine, violence unleashed by wokeness and weakness,” Hegseth said. “But under President Trump, we’re seeing a renaissance of peace through strength.”
Trump heads next to the United Arab Emirates as his Middle East trip continues through its penultimate day.
