Donald Trump will visit the United Arab Emirates later. He’s already made news this morning in Qatar, saying a deal to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon was “sort of” done – a claim Iran’s president swiftly denied. Listen to the latest Trump 100 below.
Thursday 15 May 2025 11:35, UK
Wrapping up his speech, Donald Trump says “my trip is four and a half days but this is the one I was so looking forward to”.
“We love and respect you and what you’re doing, the service you do for your country,” he says.
Trump tells the US troops that he had to “suffer” running against people who “allowed that reputation of what you stood for and what you stand for to deteriorate”.
“Just remember this, you have a job now that everybody wants,” he says.
“A year ago we were laughed at, but nobody is laughing at our country any more, we’re the most respected country anywhere in the world.”
“I can settle anything,” Trump tells US troops as he turns to the ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
He says the conflict was “getting more and more hostile, and all of a sudden you start seeing missiles of a different type”.
“I think it’s settled, and we talked to them about trade instead of the war.”
Trump says India and Pakistan were both “very happy with that”, adding “I think they’re on the way”.
“They have been fighting for about a thousand years in all fairness,” he says, “so I said I could settle that up, I can settle anything”.
Donald Trump now turns the focus back to the US military, and says “my priority is to end conflicts, not start them.”
“I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America and our partners,” he says.
“When we’re threatened, America’s military will answer our enemies without even thinking about it.”
He tells the US troops “we have overwhelming strength and devastating force… people don’t like to talk about that”.
The US president also says his 2026 budget includes substantial pay raises for service members.
Trump goes on to say “we don’t take credit for what we do” as he promises a “big parade” this year.
‘Without us, they don’t win WWII’
He mentions the recent military parades which have taken place in the West marking the 80th anniversary of victory of World War Two.
“Everybody was celebrating but us, and we’re the ones that won the war,” he says.
“We won the war and they help, but without us they don’t win the war, they’re all speaking German and maybe a little Japanese too.”
Trump then picks out France, a country which he says he “likes”, but he states “I think we did a little more to win the war than France did”.
Donald Trump has been speaking about his election campaign, and tells the US troops “we won three elections,” maintaining his belief that his 2020 loss to Joe Biden was “rigged”.
“Some people want us to do a fourth,” he goes on to say, adding “I’ll have to think about that”.
He references merchandise listed on the official Trump store website, which featured “Trump 2028” lettering in perhaps the biggest hint at a third term.
“We’re driving the left crazy,” he tells the troops.
Trump and his allies have repeatedly flirted with the prospect of running for a third term, even though the US constitution forbids it.
Recently, he suggested he’d been joking about running again. But now he appears to be bringing the idea back.
If Trump did run again in 2028, he’d end his third term as president in his mid-80s.
Donald Trump is now up on stage at Al Udeid Air Base, taking over from Pete Hegseth.
He stands and watches on as God Bless The USA is played out, a song which has become synonymous with Trump’s campaign.
His podium is flanked by an F-15 fighter jet and a drone, with a sign above him reading “peace through strength”.
“This is an honour, what a beautiful group of people you are,” he tells the US troops.
“I have nothing else to do, so let’s have a little fun.”
Trump says the US military is the “greatest fighting force in the history of the world”.
“We have the strongest military in the world, not even a contest.”
“Nobody has equipment like us, nobody has the planes or the missiles or anything else, and as your commander in chief I’m here to say that America’s military will soon be bigger, better, stronger and more powerful than ever before.”
Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defence, takes to the stage before Donald Trump.
He’s greeted by loud cheers of “USA” from the troops watching on.
“How are we doing American warriors?” He says as he takes to the mic.
“We salute you, we thank you and your families these six or 7,000 miles away,” he says before turning to Trump.
“I have the distinct privilege every day of watching President Trump put America first, from the Oval Office to foreign trips, every single moment.
“He has the best interests of our war fighters in mind. He wants to ensure in every situation, in every scenario, in every conflict, we have your back.”
He goes on to say the Trump administration is “restoring the warrior ethos” and “rebuilding our military”.
Donald Trump has now arrived at the base, but he’s still not up on stage just yet.
However, his decision to come to Al Udeid is significant, our US correspondent Mark Stone says.
“This is the largest American airbase in the Middle East, it’s very important strategically for the Americans.”
Stone, who is at the base, adds “it is from here that America fought its war in Afghanistan and the two wars in Iraq as well”.
As we explained in our previous post, Trump’s podium has been positioned under a banner which says “peace through strength”.
“For Trump, through that message of peace through strength, he believes that it is still a very important strategic asset,” Stone says.
While we wait for Donald Trump, here’s the scene at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as US troops gather to hear from their president.
We can already see the podium where Trump will speak from, flanked by Qatari and US flags and under a sign which says “peace through strength”.
Remember, you can watch along in the stream at the top of this page. We’ll also be bringing you updates as soon as he starts talking.
We’re expecting to see Donald Trump speaking to US troops in a hangar at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in the next few moments.
It’s a key strategic point for the US military, with wars against Afghanistan and Iraq once conducted from the base.
You can watch along in the stream at the top of this live page. We’ll also be providing text updates right here.
Donald Trump also gave an update on US military jets while speaking to business leaders in Doha this morning.
He said the US is examining the possible development of a twin-engine warplane, which would be known as the F-55.
That would be as well as an upgrade to its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which it calls the F-22 Super.
We’re expecting to see Trump speak to troops in a hangar at Al Udeid Air Base later this hour, and we’ll be bringing you live text updates.
It’s the last event from the US president in Qatar before he heads to the United Arab Emirates later this morning.
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Trump live: President tells US troops he'll 'have to think about' third term; Iran calls him 'naive' over nuclear deal – Sky News
