Trump Praises Hamas’s Host

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Trump called the emir of Qatar “a great and powerful leader.”

President Trump says the emir of Qatar and the prime minister of Qatar recently stopped by Palm Beach to visit him.

“It was great seeing my friends His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar and His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” Trump said in a Sunday, September 22, 2024 social media post that has so far attracted minimal notice. “The Amir has proven to be a great and powerful leader of his country, advancing on all levels at record speed. He is someone also who strongly wants peace in the Middle East, and all over the world. We had a great relationship during my years in the White House, and it will be even stronger this time around!”

Qatar, unlike its Gulf neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, is not a member of the Abraham Accords with Israel. It has been hosting some of the leadership of Hamas. Bloomberg estimates the ruling Al-Thani family’s wealth at $150 billion separate from Qatari government assets such as a $450 billion sovereign wealth fund. Bloomberg also reports that “Qatar has given American universities almost $6 billion, vastly more than any other country, according to a Bloomberg analysis of US Department of Education data. Cornell University, which opened an outpost of its medical school in Doha, was the biggest recipient, disclosing almost $2 billion in gifts.”