US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Qatar Airways had placed a "record" order for over a hundred Boeing planes worth hundreds of billions of dollars, as he signed a series of deals alongside Qatar's emir in Doha.

"It's over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the jets. That's fantastic. So that's a record," Trump stated, emphasizing that Qatar's order is the largest in Boeing's history. 

US President Donald Trump made the remarks after a deal-signing ceremony, which included defense agreements on cooperation and Qatar's purchase of American MQ-9B drones, following roughly two hours of discussions with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The visit to Qatar marked the second leg of his Gulf tour, following an initial stop in Riyadh, where he unexpectedly announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria and held a meeting with the country's president.

Details of deals to generate $1.2 trillion in 'economic exchange': WH

In detail, the White House announced on Wednesday that it has secured economic commitments worth at least $1.2 trillion from Qatar, including a historic deal for Boeing jetliners.

 That figure includes "economic deals totaling more than $243.5 billion between the U.S. and Qatar."

The White House said that Boeing and GE Aerospace landed a deal with Qatar Airways worth $96 billion to acquire up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 777X aircraft, which are powered by GE Aerospace engines. 

That marks the largest-ever order for Boeing's aircraft, as well as the largest-ever 787 order.

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According to the White House, the deal "will support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually," which would total more than 1 million jobs over the production and delivery cycle for the deal.

Private sector deals

Several other private sector deals were referenced in the announcement. It noted that McDermott has active energy infrastructure deals worth $8.5 billion in Qatar, while Parsons won 30 projects worth up to $97 billion for its engineering services. Additionally, Quantinuum entered into a joint venture with Al Rabban Capital to invest up to $1 billion in quantum technologies and workforce development in the US.

On defense

The defense partnership between the US and Qatar also stands to benefit from the dealmaking push, as the White House said the signings "mark President Trump's intent to accelerate Qatar's defense investment in the U.S.-Qatar security partnership – enhancing regional deterrence and benefitting the U.S. industrial base."

Raytheon, an RTX business, landed a $1 billion deal to provide Qatar with counter-drone capabilities, making the Gulf state the first overseas customer for Raytheon's system.

General Atomics reached a $2 billion agreement for Qatar to acquire MQ-9B "Reaper" drones.

The defense deals also included a statement of intent to potentially invest more than $38 billion to support burden-sharing at Al Udeid Air Base, a major base for the US military in the region, along with other defense capabilities for air defense and maritime security.

Qatar offers new Air Force One

The relationship between Washington and Doha has drawn attention due to Qatar's proposal to provide Trump with a $400 million luxury aircraft intended to serve as a new Air Force One before transitioning to his personal use.

Talking to reporters in Doha, the US president gave a brief update regarding the US-Iran nuclear talks, describing the talks as an "interesting situation", adding, "I have a feeling it's going to work out. I think it's going to work out. It has got to work out. One way or the other, we know it's going to work out."

Congressman requests probe into Trump's $400 mln gift from Qatar

US Congressman Ritchie Torres called for a federal probe following reports that President Donald Trump intends to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 "Flying Palace" from Qatar's royal family, an aircraft characterized by media as the most lavish gift ever proposed to a sitting US president, sparking ethical and transparency concerns in Washington.

Axios reported that Torres formally requested investigations from the Government Accountability Office, the Department of Defense Inspector General, and the Office of Government Ethics, pressing these agencies to assess both the legal ramifications and broader consequences of the potential aircraft transfer.
 
Trump fired back at the request, saying that “So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

ABC News reported that the jet would serve as a replacement for the archaic Air Force One fleet until the end of Donald Trump's term, after which the jet will be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library.

Axios said that an internal legal interview conducted by the White House Counsel's office and the Justice Department found that the "Flying Palace" gift would not meet the legal criteria necessary to count as bribery, due to the nature of its use and eventual destination.