Maggie Haberman

And that somebody would be, quote-unquote, stupid to turn down such a free gift.

And that somebody would be, quote-unquote, stupid to turn down such a free gift.

What Qatar could want in exchange? I don't know. But I know that that question is going to come up a lot if this gift goes through.

What Qatar could want in exchange? I don't know. But I know that that question is going to come up a lot if this gift goes through.

And look, I mean, you know, there is a very long history of... U.S. officials, not just in the Trump administration, lobbying on behalf of Mideast countries. There are, however, a lot of Qatari connections.

And look, I mean, you know, there is a very long history of... U.S. officials, not just in the Trump administration, lobbying on behalf of Mideast countries. There are, however, a lot of Qatari connections.

So Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, who's not in the administration now but whose work in the past administration was beneficial to him in private business, runs an investment fund that has Saudi investments and also has Qatari investments. And That's one connection.

So Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, who's not in the administration now but whose work in the past administration was beneficial to him in private business, runs an investment fund that has Saudi investments and also has Qatari investments. And That's one connection.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy who works a lot in the Mideast, is a private businessman with work involving Qataris. The Trump company is building a golf course, I believe, in Qatar. So there are a lot of entanglements. There's no question.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy who works a lot in the Mideast, is a private businessman with work involving Qataris. The Trump company is building a golf course, I believe, in Qatar. So there are a lot of entanglements. There's no question.

So it's not surprising that he's going to Qatar. It is a country where the U.S. had been seen as an ally prior, frankly, to Trump's comments in 2017 about Qatari sponsoring terrorism. But the broader message of this entire campaign enterprise that he's engaging in this week, to your question, Rachel, is there's no clear foreign policy aim for the U.S. It's deals. Deals, deals, deals.

So it's not surprising that he's going to Qatar. It is a country where the U.S. had been seen as an ally prior, frankly, to Trump's comments in 2017 about Qatari sponsoring terrorism. But the broader message of this entire campaign enterprise that he's engaging in this week, to your question, Rachel, is there's no clear foreign policy aim for the U.S. It's deals. Deals, deals, deals.

Yes, look, when he went to Saudi Arabia in 2017, the goal was to try to minimize extremism in the region. That was the stated purpose. This purpose is deals. And it's stated as deals for the U.S., but is there an overlap now and a lot of, you know, cross currents between deals for the U.S. and deals that could be beneficial to the president? Clearly.

Yes, look, when he went to Saudi Arabia in 2017, the goal was to try to minimize extremism in the region. That was the stated purpose. This purpose is deals. And it's stated as deals for the U.S., but is there an overlap now and a lot of, you know, cross currents between deals for the U.S. and deals that could be beneficial to the president? Clearly.

So there's purported investment coming from Saudi Arabia. I believe that he is looking for similar investment declarations from other countries. And then there are corporate leaders who all have shown up at this Saudi investment forum, some of whom have been Trump donors like Elon Musk.

So there's purported investment coming from Saudi Arabia. I believe that he is looking for similar investment declarations from other countries. And then there are corporate leaders who all have shown up at this Saudi investment forum, some of whom have been Trump donors like Elon Musk.

Then there are people who Trump has spoken to frequently over the years, Steve Schwarzman, chief executive of the Blackstone Group. Larry Fink from BlackRock is there. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI. The head of Palantir. There's the head of Halliburton. The president of FIFA. The head of Boeing is there, as we're talking about Boeing and these airplanes.

Then there are people who Trump has spoken to frequently over the years, Steve Schwarzman, chief executive of the Blackstone Group. Larry Fink from BlackRock is there. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI. The head of Palantir. There's the head of Halliburton. The president of FIFA. The head of Boeing is there, as we're talking about Boeing and these airplanes.

And so... Wait, the head of Boeing is there? Yeah, apparently. Is that kind of awkward? Well, I'm not sure what their side conversations were, but certainly the backdrop of the conversation is interesting. And one thing, just to remember, Rachel, about the Qatari plane, the initial report was that This plane was going to be gifted to him or announced as a gift to him while he's in Qatar this week.

And so... Wait, the head of Boeing is there? Yeah, apparently. Is that kind of awkward? Well, I'm not sure what their side conversations were, but certainly the backdrop of the conversation is interesting. And one thing, just to remember, Rachel, about the Qatari plane, the initial report was that This plane was going to be gifted to him or announced as a gift to him while he's in Qatar this week.