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
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.
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.
“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.”
