President Trump will be in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday after a swing through Saudi Arabia that saw him securing billions in economic and military investments between Washington and Riyadh.
Trump met with the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh amid a Gulf Corporation Council meeting. He announced on Tuesday that he would suspend U.S. sanctions on Syria in order to help the war-torn country.
“I felt very strongly that this would give them a chance,” Trump said. “Gives them a good, strong chance…it was my honor to do so.
But Trump’s trip to the Qatar is overshadowed by a cascade of criticism over his potential accepting of a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury jet from Qatar that reports suggest could replace Air Force One.
The aerospace company has had a contract with the U.S. government to replace the fleet of presidential planes but has been faced with years of delays.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) opposes House spending bill
Another announcement being anticipated involves a deal between Qatar and Boeing for a fleet of planes for Qatar Airways, the country’s flag carrier that flies to hundreds of destinations around the world.
In Washington, House Republicans worked through the night on the arduous task of marking up the Medicaid and taxes portion of Trump’s key domestic agenda.
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24 MINUTES AGO
Saudi, Turkey included in Syrian president meeting
RRAHMAN
Trump’s meeting with the Syrian president lasted just over an hour.
Reporters traveling with the president in Riyadh said it occurred ahead of Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman joined in person and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined by phone.
“We are currently exploring normalizing with Syria’s new government,” Trump said after the meeting.
“I’ve seen such progress,” he added. “The whole world is watching the Middle East.”
33 MINUTES AGO
Trump meets Syrian president
RRAHMAN
In a signal of thawing tensions, President Trump met with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his stop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
It comes one day after Trump said he would lift sanctions on the country, which has been devastated by civil war for more than a decade.
