Rand Paul: Trump’s Riyadh speech is historic, but Qatar’s $400M jet is trouble

In his May 13 speech at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, President Donald Trump lauded the Middle East’s transformation. He credited regional leaders and the people for their sovereign development of cities like Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. It was these local efforts that made the difference, he said, not Western interventionists, whom he criticized for failed nation-building efforts in places like Kabul and Baghdad.

He then condemned Western lectures on governance, arguing that the region’s positive transformation was due to embracing local heritage and traditions, not external imposition.

“Peace, prosperity, and progress ultimately came not from a radical rejection of your heritage, but rather from embracing your national traditions and embracing that same heritage that you love so dearly,” he said to a cheering crowd.

Glenn Beck says, “That part of that speech was as significant as the ‘Gorbachev, tear down this wall’ speech.”

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who joined Glenn on a recent episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” agreed: “It’s incredibly significant to say we’ve developed these relationships not by bossing around the world, not by intervening, but by basically trading.”

However, he wasn’t as enthusiastic about Trump’s decision to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar as a temporary Air Force One.

“The Constitution says you can’t take emoluments or gifts unless they’re approved by Congress,” Paul told Glenn. Accepting the jet could still “set up the appearance of impropriety,” even with congressional approval, due to Qatar’s arms deals with the U.S.

“There’s a potential that the administration’s objectiveness will be clouded by a $400 million plane,” he explained.

Instead, he suggested Qatar sell the plane directly to the U.S. government for a negotiated price or return the jet to Boeing, who could then sell it to the U.S. government. Both of these are solutions that reduce scrutiny over Trump’s ties to Qatar.

However, even purchasing the plane poses ‘practical concerns,’ said Paul. For example, if the Boeing-contracted planes ordered in 2018 to replace the dated Air Force One jets were “within six months of being completed,” it might be faster to wait for them than to outfit the Qatari plane, which would need to be “stripped down on the inside [and] completely reconfigured,” potentially taking longer, Paul explained.

“We began our participation in and ended World War II in a quicker time than we have ordered that plane in 2018 to today, so I mean, what is Boeing doing?” asked Glenn.

To hear Paul’s answer, plus why he can’t support Congress’ current version of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and what might be in store for Dr. Fauci regarding COVID investigations, watch the clip above.

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