President Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to officially visit Qatar on Wednesday, and he received a grand reception suited to the historic occasion.
Trump departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Qatar, marking his embarkment on the second leg of his trip to the Middle East this week.
Qatari F-15s met Air Force One in the sky and escorted it to Doha.
A view from above as F-15QA Multirole Strike Fighters of the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) escort Air Force One into Qatar🇺🇸🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/nzpk2L8Cds
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) May 14, 2025
What a view flying into Qatar!!! 🇺🇸🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/5t4WL5YII1
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 14, 2025
The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, greeted Trump on the tarmac when he arrived in the capital.
.@POTUS is greeted by the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha 🇺🇸 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/Hz8raBQo3Y
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
The pomp continued as Trump’s motorcade traveled to the Amiri Diwan.
Scene in Qatar from President Trump’s motorcade! 🐪 pic.twitter.com/20I4DEQuZ6
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 14, 2025
.@POTUS arrives at the Amiri Diwan in Doha 🇺🇸🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/CZt28tCBid
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
.@POTUS is greeted by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar. 🇺🇸🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/hqEwnNqSuq
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
.@POTUS salutes as the American National Anthem plays at the Amiri Diwan in Doha. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/811PZlwIpd
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
During Trump and al-Thani’s official meeting, Trump underscored their previous meeting in 2019 at the White House and emphasized Qatar’s involvement in working to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine.
.@POTUS to the Emir of Qatar: "It's been a very loyal, great, beautiful friendship" 🇺🇸🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/JKvOYBEkru
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
“But I just want to thank you for everything, and maybe in particular, our friendship. It’s been a very loyal, great, beautiful friendship, and the job you’ve done is second to none,” Trump told al-Thani.
The emir expressed that he was honored to welcome Trump as the first sitting U.S. president on an official visit to Qatar.
“We’re extremely honored to have you here. We’re very excited, very happy,” al-Thani said. “It’s a historic visit.”
Emir of Qatar to @POTUS: "You are the first American President to officially visit Qatar, so we're very honored." pic.twitter.com/NWaawcBrEk
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
“And I don’t know if you know that you are the first American president to officially…visit Qatar, so we’re very honored,” he added.
Qatari and U.S. officials later signed various deals and agreements, and the White House says Trump secured $1.2 trillion in economic commitments in Qatar.
One such agreement was a statement of intent on defense cooperation between the countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the statement along with a Qatari counterpart. They also signed a deal for MQ-9B aircraft.
.@SecDef signs a statement of intent on defense cooperation between the United States and Qatar. 🇺🇸🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/qVblKXMyiH
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
A White House fact sheet notes that Qatar has agreed with General Atomics to pay close to $2 billion for the remotely piloted MQ-9Bs.
Trump and Al-Thani also signed a broader joint declaration of cooperation between America and Qatar.
.@POTUS and the Emir of Qatar sign a joint declaration of cooperation between the two countries 🇺🇸🤝🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/qOOYUaRjTs
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
Boeing and Qatar inked a massive deal, too, where the company will sell the country 160 aircraft. Between Boeing and GE Aerospace, the Qataris are buying a total of 210 planes for a whopping $96 billion, a White House fact sheet notes.
Qatar signs an agreement with Boeing to purchase 160 aircraft — the largest widebody aircraft order in the American company's history pic.twitter.com/JIG4qDxcfe
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025
“This historic agreement will support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually, totaling over 1 million jobs in the United States during the course of production and delivery of this deal,” the White House said.