An opulent welcome: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani greeted US President Donald Trump atop a red carpet.
Then Trump’s motorcade was escorted through the streets of Doha by a cavalry of red Tesla Cybertrucks, a nod to the president’s senior adviser, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The motorcade was greeted at Amiri Diwan, the administrative offices of the emir, by dozens of mounted camels and Arabian horses.
Seated in plush, gilded chairs at a tea ceremony, the emir lavished praise on his guest, saying Trump was “the first American president to officially to visit Qatar.”
A Boeing deal: Economic deals totalling more than $243 billion between the US and Qatar were announced, including an agreement for Doha to purchase jets from US manufacturer Boeing for Qatar Airways.
A White House fact sheet said it was a $96 billion agreement to acquire up to 210 American-made Boeing planes, contradicting Trump, who said the deal was worth $200 billion and included 160 jets.
Boeing could use the help; it has faced a string of safety incidents and financial troubles in recent years.
The deal was inked days after Trump said he planned to accept a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar to be used initially as Air Force One — raising legal, ethical and security concerns and drawing widespread criticism.
The Qatari prime minister and minister of foreign affairs told CNN’s Becky Anderson the offer was simply a “government-to-government transaction,” not a personal gift to Trump, adding that the matter was “still under legal review.”
Other agreements signed in Qatar: Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth signed defense agreements, including a statement of intent on cooperation between the countries. Hegseth also signed offer and acceptance letters for MQ 9B aircrafts and FS-LIDS. And Trump signed a joint declaration of cooperation between the two countries.
Kit Maher contributed to this post.
