President Donald Trump offered a love letter to American troops on Thursday when he spoke at the biggest American base in the Middle East and offered his personal thanks to a soldier who helped during the Butler assassination attempt.
Trump held a campaign-style rally at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar – complete with his signature song and dance moves – as he thanked the military for its political support and promised to ‘end conflicts’ around the world.
‘As president, it’s my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America,’ he said.
But most of his 48-minute speech was focused on his appreciation for the military and his plans to make America look great in the eyes of the world.
‘Nobody been stronger than the military in terms of backing us, nobody. So, I just want to thank you all very much. Great honor. Thank you very much,’ the president said.
He said to give the troops a pay raise – which garnered him much applause and cheers – and told several of his favorite stories, including one about his secret trip to Iraq during his first term.
President Trump spoke to U.S. troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East
He gave a special shout out to Master Sergeant Michael Shilo, a member of the Air Force reserve as well as a Butler county corrections officer. He noted Shilo was in Butler on July 23, 2024, when a gun man fired on his campaign rally.
‘Michael rallied to direct law enforcement towards the sniper’s perch then worked to evacuate the rest of the crowd in a very safe manner,’ Trump noted.
‘That day was a horrible day. You acted with incredible bravery. We have got reports about what you did. It was really amazing, and I personally appreciate it. That was a rough day. We don’t want to have days like that.’
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The president spoke at Al Udeid Air Base outside the Qatari capital of Doha. It’s the largest American base in the Middle East, housing more than 10,000 troops.
It was a secret base until Vice President Dick Cheney brought a group of reporters to the airfield in 2002.
Al Udeid became the main U.S. staging ground for American troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was used extensively during President Joe Biden’s removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Trump spoke in a large hangar hung with camo netting with a drone and a warplane positioned on either side of his podium. A large sign overhead read ‘Peace Through Strength.’ Several other military vehicles were positioned throughout the room.
The stop came as he wraps up his trip to the Middle East, which began Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. He heads to the United Arab Emirates later Thursday.
But he told the soldiers of all his stops, this was the one he was looking forward to the most.
‘So, my trip is four and a half days. But this is the one I was so looking forward because I’m with the people that I really love and respect. We love and respect you,’ he said to applause.
In his remarks, the president also touted his plans to highlight America’s military might.
‘We’re gonna have a big parade this year. You know, Washington DC, a real parade,’ he promised.
He is planning a parade for June 14, which is the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday. About 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles, and 50 helicopters are part of the plan. There will also be a concert and fireworks.
President Trump delighted the troops when he did his signature robot dance
US and Qatari troops and staff await President Donald Trump
Trump also pointed to his efforts to make holidays marking the end of World War I and World War II, arguing ‘we won those wars.’
‘We’re going to be doing holidays,’ he said but added: ‘It has to be a working holiday, because we, you know, you can only do so many of them. We have a lot of holidays. … Our country has to go to work.’
And he repeated his plan to build an Iron Dome system for the United States but he also revealed he gave it a new name.
‘It was called the Iron Dome but I changed it to the Golden Dome. It’s more beautiful, modern,’ he said.
Trump wants a defense system based on Israel’s Iron Dome, which is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of two to 43 miles away. Experts say such a system could cost $2.5 trillion to build.
But, mostly, his speech was filled with platitudes about America and his role in restoring it to glory.
‘Six months ago our country was laughed at. Now our country is respected at a level it hasn’t seen in a long, long time. We’re going to keep it that way,’ he said.
‘We have a great country. We have a proud country. We have a country that is respected all over the world. And as I said before, a year ago we were laughed at but nobody is laughing at our country anymore. We are the most respected country anywhere in the world,’ he said.
He concluded with: ‘Thank you very much and enjoy your lives.’
President Trump hugs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who introduced him
The president spoke in a large hanger at Al Udeid Air Base
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who has accompanied Trump on the Middle East tour, introduced the president.
Ahead of the president’s arrival, singer Lee Greenwood, who is featured as Trump’s walk-on music for his political rallies, belted out several pro-America ballads to the hundreds of servicemembers.
Greenwood gave a live performance of ‘Proud to Be An American’ when Trump took the stage. The song is the president’s signature theme.
The troops roared in delight when the president broke out some dance moves, doing his robot dance as Greenwood’s voice filled the room.
Trump was in a jovial mood, telling the soldiers: ‘I have nothing else to do. So let’s have a little fun.’
In his remarks, he also defended Hegseth, who’s been criticized for using the app Signal to talk about U.S. plans for bombing the Houthi and for his management of the Pentagon.
Trump shrugged it off, saying of Hegseth: ‘They put him through hell, the radical left did.’
He hugged Hegseth when he took the stage.
Additionally, the president gave shout outs to VIPs in the crowd, including Fox News host Sean Hannity and comedian Theo Von, who provided the pre-speech entertainment.
Von, whose riveting podcast interview with Trump during the 2024 campaign likely helped the president with the young, male vote, made a couple of controversial cracks including ‘Where do you think the next 9/11 should happen?’
Von eventually settled on New York since the city had experience.
The vibe in the room got awkward.
At the end of his bit, Von apologized for his uneven performance and thanked the servicemembers for fighting for his freedom of speech.