President Trump had secured nearly $2 trillion in deals for U.S. companies, including more than $1.2 trillion in economic investment by Qatar, by the time his Middle East trip began its second leg Wednesday.
Reaching the halfway point of his tour, Mr. Trump advanced his approach to bolstering U.S. interests in the region through transactional business deals, eschewing his predecessors’ strategy of securing peace through diplomacy.
“Everyone wants to come and witness what is happening right here. As president, I’m proud that our growing friendship has brought us into a full-fledged economic and security partnership, as we’ve seen clearly on this trip,” Mr. Trump said in Qatar. “We’re setting records on this trip, we’re bringing a lot of investment back into the United States.”
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, emir of Qatar, said his nation and the U.S. were “economically joined at the head” because of Mr. Trump’s persistence, incentivizing it to ensure regional stability.
“We are a powerful agent for peace precisely because of our size,” he said. “There is so much that the United States and Qatar share. Building on our existing economic ties, our newly announced projects and investment will amount to $1.2 trillion,” he said, adding that Qatar was “grateful” for the deal.
Much like the $600 billion in deals Mr. Trump secured from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, it’s unclear how much of the funding was committed before the trip. Time frames for the deals were not explained.
The centerpiece of Wednesday’s deals was Qatar Airways’ agreement to pay $96 billion for 210 American-made Boeing 787 and 777X jets.
The deal is Boeing’s largest order for both airplane models. The White House said the agreement would support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually and could total more than 1 million jobs in the U.S., including production and delivery.
“It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That’s pretty good,” Mr. Trump said after signing the deal.
The deal could be a godsend for Boeing, which has lost more than $35 billion since 2019 after two plane crashes involving 737 Max jets killed 346 people and grounded the new model worldwide for about two years.
The emir said the pact takes the U.S.-Qatar relationship to “another level.”
A White House fact sheet said that trillion-dollar figure also includes economic deals totaling more than $243.5 billion signed between the two nations.
Seven active projects between engineering company McDermott and Qatar Energy are worth $8.5 billion. Technology company Parsons won 30 projects worth up to $97 billion.
Computer software company Quantinuum finalized a joint venture agreement with Qatari company Al Rabban Capital to invest up to $1 billion in “state-of-the-art” quantum technology.
“The landmark deals celebrated today will drive innovation and prosperity for generations, bolster American manufacturing and technological leadership, and put America on the path to a new Golden Age,” the fact sheet said.
Aerospace and defense company Raytheon, an RTX business, secured a $1 billion agreement for Qatar to acquire counterdrone capabilities. General Atomics secured a nearly $2 billion agreement for the Middle Eastern countries to acquire the MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft.
A statement of intent signed by the two countries “to further strengthen our security partnership” outlined more than $38 billion in potential investments, including to support the Al Udeid Air Base, a U.S. military facility in Qatar, and other defense capabilities for air and sea.
The White House said the agreements “aim to drive the growth of the U.S.-Qatar bilateral commercial relationship, create thousands of well-paying jobs, and open new trade and investment opportunities for both countries.”
Democrats in Congress were loath to credit Mr. Trump with scoring a win for Americans by signing deals in the Middle East worth hundreds of billions of dollars for U.S. businesses and manufacturing.
They stuck to the party’s message that Mr. Trump was in it only to enrich himself and his family.
Son Eric Trump spoke in the United Arab Emirates last week about the Trump Organization’s plans to build an 80-floor hotel and residential tower in Dubai. He bragged that the tower would have the world’s highest infinity pool and “redefine luxury.”
Eric Trump and brother Donald Trump Jr. have appeared at regional events to finalize deals for cryptocurrency, golf clubs and luxury residential buildings, underscoring the Trump Organization’s push for deals in the Gulf States while Mr. Trump conducts foreign policy.
“This is about a corrupt set of principles. There’s ethics involved here. I don’t know what these deals will encompass,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat. “I don’t know if anyone does, but I think whatever the deals are, they are going to accrue to the greater financial benefit of Trump and his family.”
Sen. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat, said the deals appear focused on those who will bring money to Mr. Trump and his family.
“So the new Trump Hotels, the new Qatari airplane, those are the deals that he’s making,” he said. “The rest appear to be as fictitious as they were during the first administration.”
Ethical concerns rose when Qatar announced it was giving Mr. Trump a $400 million Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which would become Air Force One for his term and then be turned over to his presidential library. The plane has been dubbed a “palace in the sky.”
“I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much,” Mr. Trump said from the White House on Monday. “I would never be one to turn down that kind of offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was — I thought it was a great gesture.”
Mr. Trump has complained about the length of time it has taken Boeing to build a new Air Force One, a deal he awarded in 2018 with an intended delivery by 2024.
The deal drew a raft of criticism from Democrats and even conservative Trump supporters such as Laura Loomer and Ben Shapiro.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, New York Democrat, described the deal as a “flying grift.” He said it violates the Constitution’s ban on anyone holding federal office from accepting gifts from foreign governments.
Ms. Loomer criticized Qatar’s financial support of Iranian proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
“This is really going to be such a stain on the [administration] if true. And I say that as someone who would take a bullet for Trump. This is so disappointing,” she wrote on X.
Mr. Trump heads next to the United Arab Emirates for the last leg of his trip. Reports say deals involving chips and Nvidia and the sale of helicopters and F-16 fighter jets are in the works.
