Donald Trump updates: US president touts strong relations, AI deal in UAE

As we reported yesterday, Qatar and the US signed a deal to boost defence.

“Yesterday we signed an agreement for Qatar to purchase $42bn-worth of the finest American military hardware including THAAD missile batteries, Pegasus refueling aircraft, Desert Vipers, light armored vehicles, amphibious combat vehicles, the MQ-9B and the Sky Guardian drones,” Trump said today, while speaking to US troops at Al Udeid airbase.

Here is a short overview of some of this hardware:

• The THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system, developed in the late 1990s, is a US missile defence system designed to intercept ballistic missiles. Each battery costs approximately $800m to $1bn.
• The KC-46 Pegasus is a US aerial refuelling aircraft developed by Boeing, first flown in 2015 and entering service in 2019. Each KC-46 costs approximately $150–$160m. It refuels aircraft midair and transports cargo, troops, and medical patients.
• The Desert Viper is a heavily customised F-16 fighter jet variant developed for the UAE Air Force, introduced in 2005. It features advanced avionics and weaponry. Each unit costs approximately $80m.
• The MQ-9B is an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle developed by General Atomics, first introduced in 2017. It is used for surveillance and strike missions. Each MQ-9B costs about $30–40m, offering long endurance, precision weaponry, and advanced sensors for military operations. The Sky Guardian is a variant of the MQ-9B.

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor of media studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says Trump’s claim that a nuclear deal with Iran is near has been one of the most important developments of his tour of the region.

“If Trump is true to his word – if the only red line is a nuclear weapon and if the Iranians are already on board with that condition – then there’s really no reason why we shouldn’t get a deal in the near future,” Elmasry told Al Jazeera.

He noted that this is particularly true as Trump is carrying out what he dubbed “personal diplomacy” in the Gulf region.

“[Trump is] talking about how he’s friends with these leaders, whether it’s Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia or Sheikh Tamim here in Qatar, or Mohamed bin Zayed in the UAE,” Elmasry said.

“All three of those leaders have impressed upon him the need to avoid war, to avoid confrontation with Iran.”

Here’s a roundup of some of the US president’s remarks:

• Trump tells Sheikh Mohammed that the pair have been “good friends” for a long time. “You’re a great warrior, a very strong man, a brilliant man, a man of vision like few others,” the US president says.
• In a dig at his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump says the US “was not such a hot country” six months ago but has now become the “hottest” country.
• The US president says his administration has garnered $10 trillion in planned investments, including the $ 1.4 trillion investment from the UAE for artificial intelligence.
• Trump has also pivoted to US domestic issues, saying that he’s helped lower grocery prices and created “a border again” – a reference to his hardline, anti-migrant policies.
• “I know you’ll never leave my side,” he tells Sheikh Mohammed. “I know that. And you know the special relationship that we have and our country has.”

We have more remarks from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan:

• The Emirati leader says his country shares partnerships with the US across a range of sectors, including energy, artificial intelligence and industry.
• “A testament to this is the UAE’s plan to invest in the US in these sectors, through the UAE’s investment bodies, at a total value of $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years,” Sheikh Mohamed says.
• The president says the UAE “remains committed to working with the United States to advance peace and stability in our region and globally”.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is making remarks at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi alongside Trump.

“We are keen to continue deepening this friendship for the benefit of both our nations and peoples,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “Your presence here today, Mr President, affirms that this commitment is mutual.”

We’ll bring you more of the remarks soon.

Sultan Barakat, a professor of public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says efforts to end Israel’s war on Gaza appear to be taking a backseat to other priorities on the US president’s visit to the region.

Barakat said he believes that Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria was used to cover up “the failure to have a serious decision on Gaza”.

He told Al Jazeera that Gaza hasn’t been broached “with the urgency it requires”, particularly as the UN’s top humanitarian official warned this week that Israel’s blockade was starving Palestinians.

“One would have expected [Gulf leaders] to say more. Maybe, privately, they said more to Trump. I personally would have liked them to start every meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of Gaza,” Barakat said.

The US president and his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, are taking part in a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

We’ll bring you more soon.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra explains that the pivot to AI is part of the Gulf country’s push to diversify its economy and lessen its reliance on oil.

The White House said in March that the UAE had committed to a 10-year, $1.4-trillion framework that will “substantially increase the UAE’s existing investments in the US economy” in AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing.

Ahelbarra said the Emirati government is looking to become “a hub” for AI and has been pushing for Washington to agree to provide them with microchips.

“For the UAE, this is quite a significant step. They are going to finalise the agreement today, and for them, it is going to reposition them as the most important player in artificial intelligence, followed by Saudi Arabia,” he explained.

The Reuters news agency reported this week that the US has a preliminary agreement with the UAE to allow it to import 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips a year, starting this year.

Trump’s plan to accept a potential gift from Qatar – a $400m plane – has raised questions about the scope of US laws that relate to gifts from foreign governments.

What does the US Constitution say?

One provision states that Congress must approve any gift from a “King, Prince, or foreign State” to an elected US official. The other prohibits the president from receiving a gift beyond salary for the job.

Congress has approved gifts from foreign governments in the past, including in 1877, when accepting the Statue of Liberty from France.

Who can enforce the provisions?

Legal experts say members of Congress, US states and some private businesses could try to sue the president if they believe a gift violates the foreign emoluments clause of the US Constitution. However, US courts require plaintiffs to have legal “standing” to bring claims.

What have US courts said about emoluments?

Until Trump’s first term, there had not been substantial litigation over the clauses, and even the meaning of the term “emolument” is a matter of legal dispute.

Democratic members of Congress sued Trump in 2017 after his businesses allegedly received payments from foreign governments. Attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia also jointly brought emoluments cases related to Trump’s businesses during his first term. Both cases were dismissed due to a lack of standing.