{"id":121146,"date":"2025-05-15T17:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=121146"},"modified":"2025-05-15T10:02:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:02:36","slug":"15-00-104","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=121146","title":{"rendered":"Trump Signs Major Deals With Qatar as New Report Reveals Doha\u2019s $40 Billion Influence Network Across US"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Trump Signs Major Deals With Qatar as New Report Reveals Doha\u2019s $40 Billion Influence Network Across US<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Corey Walker<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

US President Donald Trump and Qatar\u2019s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend a signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar, May 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS\/Brian Snyder<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As US President Donald Trump visited Qatar on Wednesday as part of his\u00a0three-country tour of the Middle East<\/a>, a new report exposed the extent of Qatar\u2019s far-reaching financial entanglements within American institutions, shedding light on what experts describe as a coordinated effort to influence US policy making and public opinion in Doha\u2019s favor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to\u00a0the report<\/a>, which was published by the Middle East Forum (MEF), a US-based think tank, Qatar has attempted to expand its soft power in the US by spending $33.4 billion on business and real estate projects, over $6 billion on universities, and $72 million on American lobbyists since 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cQatar, a tiny Gulf emirate with just 300,000 citizens, has deployed nearly $40 billion across our nation\u2019s institutions since 2012. This is not mere investment. It is calculated influence,\u201d MEF executive director Gregg Roman wrote in the report\u2019s foreword. \u201cThe pattern is clear: Qatar targets critical infrastructure, including our energy grid. It bankrolls academic departments that foment campus unrest, buys Manhattan skyscrapers, and infiltrates Silicon Valley. Its capital flows to Washington insiders who shape Middle East policy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The report, written by the MEF\u2019s Benjamin Baird, came amid mounting scrutiny over Trump\u2019s announcement that he plans to accept a\u00a0$400 million luxury private jet from Qatar<\/a>\u00a0as a gift. It was also published as Trump was in the Middle East this week visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to speak with regional leaders and strike several economic deals.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, when Trump was in Qatar, he signed what the White House touted as a sweeping \u201ceconomic exchange\u201d worth at least $1.2 trillion with the Qatari government.<\/span><\/p>\n

The agreement will likely fuel criticism from experts and lawmakers who have warned about Qatar\u2019s long-standing\u00a0support for Islamist terrorist organizations such as Hamas<\/a>\u00a0and extensive investments in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015, for example, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country\u2019s sovereign wealth fund, announced plans to invest $45 billion in the US over five years. According to MEF\u2019s analysis, that target has likely been met \u2014 or exceeded \u2014 amid the continued growth of QIA\u2019s global asset base.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of the $39.8 billion in Qatari money traced by MEF, an estimated $33.43 billion went into commercial ventures like real estate, private equity, and hedge funds. The QIA acquired stakes in the Empire State Building and the Plaza Hotel, with QIA\u2019s Manhattan real estate investments alone totaling at least $6.2 billion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Qatar has also invested deeply in US critical infrastructure, including the power grid, liquified natural gas production, oil pipelines, and plastics manufacturing, raising concerns among national security experts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The report also revealed that Qatar has emerged as the\u00a0largest foreign donor to American higher education<\/a>, giving US universities a staggering $6.25 billion since 2012. Between January 2023 and October 2024, Qatari contributions totaled roughly $980 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

Qatar\u2019s financial ties to American universities have come under intensifying scrutiny following the surge in pro-Hamas, anti-Israel Israel campus protests in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. Observers argue that foreign actors, including Qatar, have used generous donations to encourage universities to hire radical academics and startup anti-Israel academic programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2023 from the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy found that concealed donations from foreign governments, especially Qatar, to US educational institutions have been\u00a0associated with an increase in antisemitic incidents<\/a>\u00a0on campus and the erosion of liberal norms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the prevalence of what MEF described as Qatar\u2019s \u201cinfluence network\u201d in the US, Trump on Sunday announced that the Department of Defense would receive a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a \u201cgift, free of charge\u201d from Qatar. According to Trump, the jet will serve as a replacement to \u201cthe 40-year-old Air Force One.\u201d It will be considered property of the US federal government until the end of Trump\u2019s term in office, after which ownership of the aircraft will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday, Trump defended his controversial decision to accept the $400 million luxury jet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much,\u201d he said while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. \u201cI would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, \u2018No, we don\u2019t want a free, very expensive airplane.\u2019 But it was \u2014 I thought it was a great gesture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The US president argued that the Qatari government gifted him the jet because he has \u201chelped them a lot over the years in terms of security and safety.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s plan to accept the splashy airliner set off a firestorm of criticism among foreign policy experts and some lawmakers, especially Democrats, with skeptics accusing the president of violating the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, which prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign countries without the consent of Congress. Others expressed concern that Doha could use the gift as leverage to influence US policy in the Middle East.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic Senate leader\u00a0Chuck Schumer<\/a>\u00a0(NY) suggested that the gift from Qatar is an attempt to bribe Trump and gain \u201cinfluence\u201d in the US government.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also lambasted Trump\u2019s announcement and called for a probe into Qatar\u2019s gift. In a letter addressed to the Government Accountability Office comptroller general, the Defense Department acting inspector general, and the Office of Government Ethics acting director, Torres suggested that the gift likely runs afoul of the Emoluments Clause.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith an estimated value of $400 million, the aerial palace would constitute the most valuable gift ever conferred on a president by a foreign government,\u201d Torres posted on X\/Twitter. \u201cJust as troubling as the gift itself is the identity of the benefactor. Qatar is not a neutral party on the world stage. It has a deeply troubling history of financing a barbaric terrorist organization that has the blood of Americans on its hands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Trump on Wednesday signed a\u00a0series of agreements totaling at least $1.2 trillion<\/a>\u00a0with Qatar\u2019s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.<\/span><\/p>\n

The deal includes a $96 billion order of Boeing jets and GE Aerospace engines. Beyond aircraft, the deals encompass over $243.5 billion in trade and infrastructure agreements with companies such as McDermott and Parsons, and a $1 billion joint venture in quantum technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside commercial investments, the US signed major defense deals with Qatar, including nearly $3 billion for advanced drone systems and counter-drone technology from Raytheon and General Atomics. A broader $38 billion framework agreement for military cooperation, including potential expansion at Al Udeid Air Base, further cements Qatar\u2019s strategic influence in US defense planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion’68,<\/em>
\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion’68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.
\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:
\n<\/em>webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump Signs Major Deals With Qatar as New Report Reveals Doha\u2019s $40 Billion Influence Network Across US Corey Walker US President Donald Trump and Qatar\u2019s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend a signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar, May 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS\/Brian Snyder As US President Donald Trump visited Qatar on Wednesday as part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121146"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121162,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121146\/revisions\/121162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}