Doha, Qatar – US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely on seeking deals after billions of dollars of pledges from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
He started the trip in Saudi Arabia which promised its own $600 billion in investment, including one of the largest-ever purchases of US weapons.
The Gulf leaders’ largesse has also stirred controversy, with Qatar offering Trump a luxury aeroplane ahead of his visit for presidential and then personal use, in what Trump’s Democratic rivals charged was blatant corruption.
Trump, who also chose Saudi Arabia for the opening visit of his first term, has been unabashed about seeking Gulf money and hailed the effect on creating jobs at home.
In a speech in Riyadh, Trump attacked not only Democrats but also the traditional wing of his own Republican Party, which had championed US military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Complimenting the skyline of the Saudi desert capital, Trump said: “The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called ‘nation-builders’, ‘neocons’ or ‘liberal non-profits’, like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad.”
“Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves,” he said.
“In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built.”
Silent on rights
Trump steered clear of any hint of criticism of the Gulf monarchies on human rights.
Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden had initially vowed to shun Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over US intelligence findings that he ordered the gruesome murder in 2018 of Jamal Khashoggi — a Saudi dissident writer who lived in the United States.
Trump instead hailed the crown prince, who is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, as a visionary due to the kingdom’s rapid economic investments.
Trump also acceded to a key request by the crown prince in announcing a lifting of sanctions on Syria following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in December.
He met in Riyadh with Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist guerrilla once on the US wanted list who dressed in a suit and was complimented by Trump as a “young, attractive guy”.
Trump was joined in the meeting by Prince Mohammed and, virtually, by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the key supporter of the former Syrian rebels.
Trump said Wednesday he was willing to travel to Turkey if Putin accepts an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet on ending the war.
Russia has given no indication that Putin will attend. Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would travel nonetheless to Istanbul for the potential talks.
Trump announces big Boeing order for Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways will honour a “$96 billion agreement to acquire up to 210 American-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines,” according to a White House fact sheet.
“This is Boeing’s largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order,” it said.
The order is comprised of 130 Dreamliner planes and 30 Boeing 777-9 jets, which are still being certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration. There are also options for 50 additional 787 and 777X planes, according to a Boeing news release.
“We are deeply honored that Qatar Airways has placed this record-breaking order with Boeing, one that solidifies their future fleet,” Boeing commercial plane chief Stephanie Pope said.
The order represents a win for new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, although analysts noted that the planes will not be delivered for at least five years due to industry backlogs.
Both Boeing and rival Airbus, which has also sold extensively to Qatar Airways, have struggled in recent years with supply chain problems as they have taken thousands of plane orders amid strong airline demand. Boeing has also been beset with safety and labour problems that have limited output.
Ortberg joined Trump for part of Wednesday’s signing ceremony that also included defence agreements and the purchase by Qatar of American MQ-9B drones, after about two hours of talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
“It’s over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the jets. That’s fantastic. So that’s a record,” Trump said, adding: “It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That’s pretty good.”
The list prices of the 777X and 787 Dreamliner suggest the total value of the Boeing deal is well under $200 billion. The $96 billion figure in the White House factsheet also appears to include some business for GE Aerospace.
Plane backlog
Trump’s Qatar visit is the second destination of his Gulf tour, after a first stop in Riyadh, where he made a surprise announcement lifting sanctions on Syria and met the country’s president.
Relations between Washington and Doha have been in the spotlight over Qatar’s offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday he would hold up Trump’s Justice Department political appointees in protect, saying, “This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.”
Since 2016, Boeing has received 118 gross orders from Qatar Airways and delivered 65 planes to the carrier, according to Boeing’s website.
Morningstar analyst Nicolas Owens said the order represents “good news” for Boeing, but noted that it would be years before Boeing receives revenues for the jets in Wednesday’s order.
“If you’re ordering a plane today it’s not going to be on your landing strip for at least five years,” Owens said.
Owens said the announcement is also a “vote of confidence” in the much-delayed 777X, which is still to be certified, with Boeing pointing to first deliveries in 2026.
A press release from Qatar Airways praised the new 777 planes for reducing fuel use and emission by 25 percent compared to the aeroplanes they will replace.
Ortberg joined Boeing in August 2024 following a leadership shakeup after a series of safety and quality control problems. He has focused on upgrading Boeing’s operations under the close scrutiny of US air safety regulators, saying improving Boeing’s corporate culture will take time.
Shares of Boeing rose 0.6 percent.
