President Trump received a warm welcome at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar during his visit to U.S. troops. The base hosts about 8,000 U.S. troops, down from 10,000 at the Iraq and Afghanistan wars’ peak.
It supports operations, including the Yemen air campaign.
Trump’s visit came after he and Qatar’s ruler signed several bilateral agreements. It was part of Trump’s effort to move away from previous U.S. interventionist policies in the Middle East. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani encouraged Trump to use U.S. leverage to help end the conflict in Gaza. He said, “Our teams are engaged in intensive diplomacy to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Trump plans to ease sanctions on Syria and recognize its government, which praised the decision as a “turning point for Syria.”
Trump aims to build U.S.-Qatar relations further while rejecting America’s past interventionism in the region, saying, “The so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built.”
The visit highlighted U.S. efforts to reduce its military footprint, promote defense exports, and encourage negotiations with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions amid regional conflicts.
