Opinion

MAGA Melts Down Over Trump Giving Qatar a Military Base in U.S.

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
Fri, October 10, 2025 



The Trump administration’s approval of a Qatari air force base in Idaho isn’t popular with either of America’s political parties.

Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the forthcoming Qatari Emiri Air Force facility in America’s heartland Friday morning, thanking the Middle Eastern nation for playing a “core part” in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Mountain Home Air Force Base will host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots, and allow Qatari forces alongside American troops for F-15 pilot training.

The move, which stands in stark contrast to the president’s “America first” agenda, seriously rattled some of Donald Trump’s most outspoken supporters.

“Never thought I’d see Republicans give terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on US soil so they can murder Americans,” posted far-right influencer Laura Loomer, who has operated as Trump’s informal “loyalty enforcer” since August. “I don’t think I’ll be voting in 2026. I cannot in good conscience make any excuses for the harboring of jihadis.”

“This is where I draw the line,” she wrote.

Other conservatives were left bewildered by the seemingly nonsensical decision.

“What’s the strategic rationale for this? Either ours or Qatar’s?” posted the National Review’s Noah Rothman. “You could rattle off all the problems/risks we’re inviting easily. But I have no idea what the steelman case for this would be? I’m sure we don’t need to import any more Qatari covert assets into this country.”

And still others pointed out the inconsistent hypocrisy of the administration’s policies.

“Joe Biden was criticized for a Chinese balloon flying over our airspace,” wrote GOP consultant Mike Madrid. “They’re giving Qatar an entire f’ing air base.”

Dan Caldwell, who was forced out of the DOD during Hegseth’s Signalgate disaster, wrote on X that the joint air force operation was being blown out of proportion.

“The freak out around this is of course totally unwarranted since this is actually a pretty common practice with countries that buy and operate a lot of U.S. military aircraft. Singapore has a similar facility and detachment for its F-15 training unit at this very same airbase,” Caldwell said.

But even beyond the Air Force base, Qatar appears to have bought itself a very sweet spot in Trumpworld. Just months ago, Qatar solidified a deal with the Trump Organization to build a Trump-branded golf course and a beachside project as part of a $5.5 billion development project. The tiny nation also bestowed a wildly controversial super luxury jumbo jet on to Trump, all in an apparent attempt to shore up its relationship with the U.S.’s notoriously flighty leader.

Those transactions began to pay off earlier this month, when Trump signed an executive order that pledged to give the tiny, energy-rich, non-NATO ally the same level of protection from the U.S. as some of America’s most powerful allies.


Maga row over Trump giving Qatar military facility in US

Sophia Yan
Sat, October 11, 2025
THE TELEGRAPH


Donald Trump has been criticised by Maga supporters over a ‘letter of acceptance; to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility in the US - Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Donald Trump’s plans to allow Qatar to build an air force facility in the US have been criticised by his Maga supporters.

Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said Washington had finalised an agreement with Qatar to establish the facility at the US Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho.

What’s being built is not a separate base, but a group of buildings constructed to allow pilots from the Gulf state to fly F-15QA fighter jets.

The agreement – in the works as part of a $12 billion deal made in 2017 for Qatar to purchase 36 F-15s – has taken on renewed significance after Israel bombed Doha in an attack against Hamas officials.

The attack shocked the entire Gulf region, where many countries host US forces in return for a security guarantee – one that was broken when Israel, whose most staunch ally is the US, launched those strikes in Doha last month.

Since then, the US has been trying to shore up confidence with its Gulf allies, including Qatar.

Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an agreement to build an Air Force facility in Idaho - Alex Wroblewski/AFP

The announcement drew criticism within Maga, with influential figures outraged over the idea of a foreign military base on American soil.

Laura Loomer, a Maga firebrand, wrote on X: “No foreign country should have a military base on US soil. Especially Islamic countries. I have never felt more betrayed by the GOP.

“I’m not voting in 2026!”

Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist and key ally of Mr Trump, told Newsweek: “There should never be a military base of a foreign power on the sacred soil of America.”

Noah Rothman, a writer for the National Review, said: “What’s the strategic rationale for this? Either ours or Qatar’s?”

“You could rattle off all the problems/risks we’re inviting easily. But I have no idea what the steelman’s case for this would be? I’m sure we don’t need to import any more Qatari covert assets into this country.”

Donald Trump’s administration has been criticised over the perceived hypocrisy of the US-Qatar deal - Robert Perry/Getty Images

Some pointed to their perceived hypocrisy of the Trump administration.

Mike Madrid, a Republican consultant, said: “Joe Biden was criticized for a Chinese balloon flying over our airspace.

“They’re giving Qatar an entire f’ing air base.”

The confusion forced Mr Hegseth to clarify the announcement.

He said on X: “The US military has a long-standing partnership with Qatar, including today’s announced cooperation with F-15QA aircraft.

“However, to be clear, Qatar will not have their own base in the United States – nor anything like a base. We control the existing base, like we do with all partners.”

Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson, said: “What we expect is it to be squadron operations and hangars for the F-15QA, because that’s the Qatari version of the jet that they bought through foreign military sales. It is definitely still a US Air Force Base.”

The miliary base will allow pilots from the Gulf state to fly F-15QA fighter jets - MI News/NurPhoto

The US has a long history of training side-by-side with other militaries as part of broader defence preparedness plans – well-trained allies can help support American security interests and keep US troops abroad safe.

It’s also a key part of US defence sales agreements. When the US government approves sensitive purchases of American defence equipment to foreign countries – whether that’s jets or missile systems – those foreign troops must be trained on how to operate the hardware, and only US forces can provide such training.

On-site training agreements exist at several US military bases. Nato pilots, for instance, are trained at Sheppard AFB in Texas. A Singaporean squadron has trained for years at Idaho’s Mountain Air Force Base, where the Qataris will also soon set up.

No, Qatar isn’t taking over an Idaho air force base

CK Smith
Sat, October 11, 2025 
SALON


Qatar and US defense leaders agree to transition part of an Idaho air force base into a Qatari flight training facility. Not a wholly Qatari base on US soil, despite what some internet rumors say. ALEX WROBLEWSKI / Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Defense approved a plan for Qatar to establish a military training facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. This facility will host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and personnel, enabling joint training exercises with U.S. forces to enhance interoperability and combat readiness. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that while Qatar will fund and construct the facility, it will operate under U.S. jurisdiction and control, maintaining the base’s status as a U.S. Air Force installation.

Despite these assurances, the announcement has sparked significant backlash. Critics, including far-right activist Laura Loomer, falsely claimed that the Pentagon is granting Qatar a military base on American soil, fueling social media outrage.

In response, popular journalist and podcaster posted under the name “Under the Desk News” produced an explainer clarifying that the facility is a training site, not a full-fledged base, and operates within the existing U.S. military infrastructure. And even Pete Hegseth went on his own social media to discount this accusation.

This arrangement mirrors similar agreements with other allied nations, such as Singapore, which has maintained a presence at Mountain Home since 2008. The Qatari facility is part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S.-Qatar defense ties, especially following Qatar’s support for U.S. interests in the Middle East. The project is expected to create American jobs and support broader U.S.-Qatari military cooperation.

However, the deal has ignited a firestorm among Trump’s core supporters, like Loomer, some accusing the administration of compromising American sovereignty. As the facility’s construction progresses, it remains to be seen how domestic opposition will influence its development and the future of U.S.-Qatar military partnerships.

Qatari Air Force Facility to Be Built in Idaho: Hegseth

Chantelle Lee
Fri, October 10, 2025
TIME




A new Qatari air force facility will be built in Idaho, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday.

“Today we’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatar Emiri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho,” Hegseth told reporters. “It’s just another example of our partnership.”

Hegseth said that the facility would host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the arrangement.

The announcement came as Hegseth thanked Qatar for its role in peace talks between Israel and Hamas. Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, helped mediate the cease-fire negotiations that were held in Egypt this week. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a cease-fire deal.

“No one other than President Trump could have achieved the peace—what we believe will be a lasting peace—in Gaza, and Qatar played a substantial role from the beginning, working with our folks to make sure that came about,” Hegseth said on Friday.

By Friday, Israel pulled its troops back to agreed positions in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has 72 hours to release the remaining 48 Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are thought to still be alive, under the terms of the deal.

At the end of September, Trump signed an Executive Order stating that the “United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”

In a controversial move a few months earlier, Trump accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One. Democrats attempted to block funding to turn the jet into Air Force One, but Republicans rejected that effort on Thursday.

Nik Popli contributed.

US announces it will allow Qatar to build an Air Force facility in Idaho

Natasha Bertrand, CNN
Fri, October 10, 2025 


Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, at the Pentagon on October 10, 2025. - Ken Cedeno/Reuters


Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the US will allow Qatar to build an Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, which will host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots who will train alongside US troops.

“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase the lethality, interoperability,” Hegseth said during a meeting with his Qatari counterpart Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the Pentagon. “It’s just another example of our partnership. And I hope you know, Your Excellency, that you can count on us.”

The announcement of the deal comes just weeks after Trump signed an executive order for the US to guarantee the security of Qatar — a significant commitment to a non-NATO, Arab ally. Israel had bombed Qatar several days earlier as part of an operation against Hamas officials living in Doha. But sources told CNN that the plan to build the Qatari facility has been in the works for several years, dating back to the previous administration.

A US official said the agreement with Qatar is routine and something the Air Force has done for decades with other partner nations including Germany and Singapore.

Hegseth later on Friday wrote in a post on X, “The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today’s announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft,” emphasizing there will be no Qatari owned base in the US.

But a close ally of Donald Trump, far-right activist Laura Loomer, has posted on X more than a dozen times since the deal was announced calling it “outrageous,” “an abomination,” and a “betrayal.”

Hegseth praised Qatar for playing a “substantial role” in the peace talks that led to a ceasefire and hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas, as well as the Gulf country’s support when the US struck Iranian nuclear sites in June. Qatar is also home to the largest US military base in the region at Al-Udeid.

The Qatar facility specifically has been in the works for several years; a 2022 announcement from Mountain Home Air Force Base, published while President Joe Biden was in office, provided the results of an environmental assessment looking at the “potential impacts associated with the beddown of a US-led Qatar Emiri Air Force F-15QA squadron” at the base.

The “beddown” is facilities for the training squadron’s operations, the US official said, providing space for the pilots to train, brief, do their scheduling, and more. The countries who send pilots as part of this program provide the US funds through foreign military sales to build the facilities, the official added, and the military hires community labor around the bases to build them out.

The final environmental impact report published in 2022 said it was for “the beddown of 12 F-15QA permanently assigned QEAF aircraft and associated equipment, use of the Mountain Home Air Force Base airfield and special use airspace and military training routes for training, use of defensive countermeasures and ordnance, approximately 300 additional QEAF and United States Air Force personnel, and the construction and modification of facilities and infrastructure needed to support the beddown.”

The report said basing and operations were expected to begin in early Fiscal Year 2024, with an initial timeline of 10 years and an option to extend further if needed.

“We further welcome today’s signing of the letter of acceptance establishing a Qatar Emiri Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho,” al Thani said. “This step strengthens interoperabilities, enhances joint readiness, and advances our shared defense goals. Mr. Secretary, together we will continue to deepen this strategic partnership in pursuit of lasting peace and shared security.”