As he flew to the Middle East to celebrate his diplomatic victory on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, President Donald Trump heaped praise on one ally in particular: Qatar.
“Qatar was a tremendous help to getting this done. I hope people can realize that,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “It was very tough and very dangerous for Qatar. They were very brave.”
The Gulf nation has long been a broker in diplomatic negotiations but its key role as mediator, along with Egypt, in the Gaza talks further cemented its stature in the eyes of the US president.
In a sign of the warm relationship within his first 10 months in office, Trump received a plane meant to be used as Air Force One from Doha and the president signed an executive order giving Qatar an unprecedented bilateral defense pact with the US following an Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in its capital Doha.
But Trump’s effusive praise was a far cry from his stance on Qatar in the early months of his first term, when he accused the nation of funding terrorism in the region.
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