The Trump administration has agreed to build a Qatari air force facility on U.S. soil, prompting claims of corruption and fears of national security risks.
Months after Donald Trump accepted a Boeing 747 from the authoritarian regime and inked a deal to build a luxury golf course in Qatar, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has announced that a Qatari Emery Air Force facility will be built in Idaho.
“Today, we’re announcing a letter of acceptance in building a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho,” Hegseth said on Friday, as Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the Pentagon.
“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase, lethality, interoperability. It’s just another example of our partnership, and I hope you know, your Excellency, that you can count on us.”
The move sent shockwaves across political circles and MAGA world, prompting fears that hosting a foreign military installation could create intelligence and security risks, as Qatar maintains close ties with countries like Iran and Turkey.
“Never thought I’d see Republicans give terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on U.S. soil,” Trump ally Laura Loomer wrote on X.
“I don’t think I’ll be voting in 2026... This is where I draw the line.”
Former Obama aide Tommy Vietor also weighed in, noting that “in 2017, Trump accused Qatar of being “funders of terrorism” and now the US is going to host a Qatari military base on US soil???”
And military veteran and investment banker Evaristus Odinikaeze accused Trump of selling America “piece by piece” like it was his real estate.
“This deal isn’t about patriotism. It’s about power deals and quiet compromises that bypass the people,” he said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Pentagon for more information about the air force facility, which will be located about 50 miles from the capital of Boise.
But it is not the only dubious arrangement the Trump administration has made with Qatar.
Earlier this year, Trump came under fire for accepting a Qatari plane, in what is believed to be one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government.
The move was controversial because the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause forbids public office holders from accepting a present “of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
In May, the Trump family company also struck a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, prompting further questions about U.S. public policy being shaped for personal financial gain.
The project, which features Trump-branded beachside villas and an 18-hole golf course to be built by a Saudi Arabian company, was the first foreign deal by the Trump Organization since Trump took office.
“The corruption is so blatant,” wrote Democrat Jessica Tarlov, a Fox co-host of The Five.
However, Hegseth argued that the project reflected the depth of the U.S.-Qatari defense partnership.
“You have been a core part of what has unfolded in Gaza, a historic moment," he told Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister at the Pentagon.
“We’re grateful for the strong partnership that we have, the way you support our troops at Al Udeid, Your Excellency, the line of communication we’ve had together.”
The idea of the U.S. Air Force bringing in members of Qatar’s air force to Mountain Home Air Force Base was also raised in 2022, according to reports in the military publication Stars and Stripes.
Singapore military members have also lived and trained there as part of an agreement with the U.S.
