Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

Mediaite: Trump Confronted on Air Force One by NY Times Over $2 Billion Crypto Deal

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President Donald Trump was confronted aboard Air Force One by New York Times White House reporter Jonathan Swan over a $2 billion foreign deal that’s being paid for with Trump crypto.

Trump is currently on a four-day swing through the Persian Gulf region with stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which has been dogged by the controversy over his eager acceptance of a $400 million “flying palace” from Qatar to serve as Air Force One.

The trip has also drawn attention to Trump’s family businesses, including the cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial.

That company’s USD1 currency was selected by state-owned UAE firm MGX to pay for a $2 billion investment in Binance earlier this month. The deal was announced by WLF co-founder Zach Witkoff, son of Trump Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Trump plays dumb:

JONATHAN SWAN: An Emirati government-backed firm did a $2 billion deal using the Trump digital coins. How did that deal come about?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don’t know anything about it. I really don’t know anything about it. But I’m a big crypto fan, I will tell you. I’ve been that from the beginning, right from the campaign. I’m a believer in crypto.

Trump Confronted on Air Force One by NY Times Over $2 Billion Crypto Deal
Trump was confronted aboard Air Force One by New York Times reporter Jonathan Swan over a $2 billion foreign deal that’s being paid for with Trump crypto.
Trump Confronted on Air Force One by NY Times Over $2 Billion Crypto Deal

Mirror: CNN abruptly halts broadcast for breaking news about Trump’s ‘wrong’ gift from Saudi Arabia

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Nonetheless, [Erin] Burnett on CNN assailed the act as blatantly inappropriate, likening it to the “modern definition of a Trojan horse.”

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Lambasting Trump’s choice to take the plane, the news anchor declared: “Let’s be honest here, the President of the United States has no business accepting a plane for anything and from anyone. It is not political.”

She went on to argue that this situation was evidently black-and-white, concluding boldly: “Because this is something that is actually an easy call. It’s wrong. But Trump’s team will circle the wagons, it seems, on pretty much anything.“

CNN quickly halts show for breaking news about Trump’s ‘wrong’ Saudi Arabia gift
CNN host Erin Burnett was left fuming as she reported that American President Donald Trump had been gifted a $400 million jet by officials in Qatar – and he accepted it

https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/cnn-abruptly-halts-broadcast-breaking-1150472

ABC News: Dems want investigation into whether Trump admin helping Musk make Starlink deals

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As President Donald Trump continues his first foreign trip through the Middle East, a group of Senate Democrats are calling for an investigation into whether the Trump administration is clearing hurdles for Starlink, a company led by White House senior adviser Elon Musk, to strike foreign deals.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi [Bimbo #3], acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics Jamieson Greer, acting Inspector General of the State Department Arne Baker and White House ethics official Scott Gast, the senators called for an investigation into whether the administration is “intervening” to benefit Starlink as it “negotiates tariff agreements and other matters with foreign governments.”

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“These reports indicate that Mr. Musk may be using his official role and his proximity to the President as leverage for his own personal financial benefit — even if it comes at the expense of American consumers and the nation’s foreign policy interests,” the senators wrote. “These actions raise questions about whether Mr. Musk or other administration officials may be violating ethics or other laws.”

Senate Democrats want investigation into whether Trump administration helping Musk make Starlink deals
Democratic senators are calling for an investigation into whether the Trump administration is clearing hurdles for Starlink, led by Elon Musk, to strike foreign deals.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-democrats-investigation-trump-administration-helping-musk-make/story?id=121795283

Associated Press: Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries

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For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer.

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” the Republican told reporters on Monday. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

Critics of the plan worry that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

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But security is the primary concern when it comes to presidential travel. The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War. They are hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and include a range of security features, such as anti-missile countermeasures and an onboard operating room. They are also equipped with air-to-air refueling capabilities for contingencies, though it has never been utilized with a president on board.

A former U.S. official briefed on the Air Force One replacement project said that while it would be possible to add some features to the Qatari jet, there was no way to add the full suite of capabilities to the plane on a tight timetable.

Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries
For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer. But Trump’s plan threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-qatar-air-force-one-2ef13d87b71185bde547abe6840b098c

New York Times: With Trump Visit, Qatar’s Image Makeover Scores Another Success

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The emirate, once called “a funder of terrorism” by President Trump, has spent lavishly on overhauling its global reputation.

The president, who has described the emir as a “great gentleman” and a “friend of mine,” is granting Qatar the honor of hosting one of the first foreign visits of his second term. As for the plane, the president says he would be “stupid” not to accept such a nice gift despite loud objections, not only from Democrats but from some of his most fervent MAGA supporters.

It is a dramatic turnaround for a small Persian Gulf country that Mr. Trump derided eight years ago as “a funder of terrorism at a very high level.” At that time, he cooperated with Qatar’s bitter rivals in the region — who imposed a punishing blockade on Doha — in calling for an end to what he described as the country’s “extremist ideology.”

Impeach! Impeach! Impeach!

https://archive.is/5Xbf6#selection-727.0-738.0

Alternet: Donald Trump just can’t resist the bribes | Opinion

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But one thing almost all Americans are firmly against — even many loyal Trumpers — [i]s bribery. And Trump is taking bigger and bigger bribes.

Yesterday it was reported that he’s accepting a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane worth at least $400 million from the Qatari royal family, for use during his presidency and for his personal use afterward.

Trump just can’t resist. He’s been salivating over the plane for months. It’s bigger and newer than Air Force One — and so opulently configured that it’s known as “a flying palace.” (No report on whether it contains a golden toilet.)

Apparently he’s been talking about the plane for months. In February, he toured it while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport.

He’s tried to redecorate the White House into a palace but that’s not nearly as satisfying as flying around the world in one, especially once he’s left the White House (assuming he will).

https://www.alternet.org/donald-trump-just-can-t-resist-the-bribes

Manila Times: Trump family Gulf empire grows

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Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit next week, his son Eric was promoting his crypto firm in Dubai, while Don Jr. prepared to talk about “Monetizing MAGA” in Doha.

Last month, the Trump Organization struck its first luxury real estate deal in Qatar and released details of a billion-dollar skyscraper in Dubai whose apartments can be bought in cryptocurrency.

In a monarchical region awash with petrodollars, the list of Trump-related ventures is long and growing. However, the pres-idential entourage is not the only party cashing in, analysts say.

“Gulf governments likely see the presence of the Trump brand in their countries as a way to generate goodwill with the new administration,” said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

If the president chose, he could hopscotch the region from one Trump venture to another when he visits Saudi Arabia, Qa-tar and the United Arab Emirates next week on the first foreign tour of his second term.

Asked whether Trump would make visits or meetings linked to his own business interests or that of his family, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “ridiculous” to “even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit” and that he had “lost money for being president.”

LOL! The only person in Washington, D.C., who tells more lies than King Donald is Bimbo #1 Karoline Leavitt.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/05/12/business/foreign-business/trump-family-gulf-empire-grows/2110755

AOL: White House: ‘Ridiculous’ to think Trump doing anything for his own personal wealth

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt [Bimbo #1] said Friday it would be “ridiculous” to think President Trump is personally benefiting from his time at the White House, calling out reporters for questions about his family’s business ventures while in office.

Ahead of Trump’s trip to the Middle East next week, Leavitt [Bimbo #1] pushed back on questioning over whether any family members are joining him and if the president has any plans to meet with people involved with the family businesses while in the region.

“Not to my knowledge, and let me just get to the premise of your question that both of you have raised. I think it’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit. He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service, not just once, but twice,” [Bimbo #1] said.

“A life of running a very successful real estate empire”: Does that include the loser’s SIX bankruptcies?

And his THIRTY FOUR convictions on felony counts of falsified business records?

Dumb doesn’t come much dumber than Bimbo #1 Karoline Leavitt!

White House: ‘Ridiculous’ to think Trump doing anything for his own personal wealth
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday it would be “ridiculous” to think President Trump is personally benefiting from his time at the White House, calling out reporters for questions about his family’s business ventures while in office. Ahead of Trump’s trip to the Middle East next week, Leavitt pushed back on questioning over…

https://www.aol.com/white-house-ridiculous-think-trump-182511250.html

Axios: Israel plans to occupy and flatten all of Gaza if no deal by Trump’s trip

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Israel has set President Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week as a deadline for a new hostage and ceasefire deal, with a massive ground operation to commence if no deal is reached, Israeli officials say.

Why it matters: Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan Sunday night to gradually reoccupy all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely if no deal is reached by May 15. Plans for the operation call for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to flatten any buildings that remain standing and displace virtually the entire population of 2 million people to a single “humanitarian area.”

Ethnic cleansing at its “finest”.

Israel plans to occupy and flatten all of Gaza if no deal by Trump’s trip
Trump has effectively given Netanyahu a green light to do as he sees fit, Israeli officials say.

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/05/israel-gaza-destroy-trump-deal

Students’ “Student and Exchange Visitor Information System” records being secretly terminated

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Now there are multiple reports in multiple states of international students having their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records terminated by USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) with no notice to either the students or to the schools.

No notice, no hearing, just terminated, and presumably the students will soon be *poof* disappeared as well.

Records for international students at 2 more universities terminated; schools say they weren’t told beforehand

Why has Trump revoked hundreds of international student visas?

Students react to nearly 50 international students’ visas being revoked, records being removed across Utah

118 international students’ immigration statuses revoked across Texas universities

Federal officials are quietly terminating the legal residency of some international college students