Trump Faces MAGA Backlash for Plan to Build Qatari Air Force Facility in Idaho

The Trump Administration is facing backlash from the president’s own supporters following the announcement that a new Qatari air force facility would be built in Idaho. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the plan to build a “Qatar Emiri Air Force facility” at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho. The facility will be paid for by Qatar and will be used by the country to train its pilots to fly F-15 fighter jets, which it is buying from the U.S. The plan received quick pushback from several high-profile MAGA influencers and proponents of President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.  Read More: Trump Brokers $96 Billion Boeing Deal in Qatar, Signaling a New Era of Aviation Diplomacy Steve Bannon, White House chief strategist during Trump’s first term, told Newsweek that there “should never be a military base of a foreign power on the sacred soil of America.” The deal also came under fire from MAGA stalwart and self-described Islamaphobe Laura Loomer, who holds considerable influence in the White House and has claimed credit for several hirings and firings of high-level officials in the Trump Administration.  “Never thought I’d see Republicans give terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on US soil so they can murder Americans,” Loomer wrote on X Friday. The deal does not involve giving Qatar a military base, but rather a facility within a U.S. base. “The Qatari influence on the Trump administration is totally out of control,” Loomer said in a separate post. “It’s inappropriate to let Qatari’s have an Air Force base on US soil.” Loomer also shared a clip of Trump speaking in 2017 in which he accused Qatar of historically funding terrorism “at a very high level.” Loomer has called herself a “proud Islamaphobe” and said 9/11 was an “inside job.” Earlier this year, she successfully campaigned for the Trump Administration to end “lifesaving” medical visas for Palestinians impacted by the war in Gaza. The deal also drew criticism from conservatives outside of the MAGA base. Noah Rothman, writer for conservative news organization The National Review, asked, “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 case for this would be? I’m sure we don’t need to import any more Qatari covert assets into this country,” he wrote on X.  Republican political consultant and commentator Mike Madrid said on X: “Joe Biden was criticized for a Chinese balloon flying over our airspace. They’re giving Qatar an entire f’ing air base.”  In a clarifying social media post late Friday, Hegseth said that the airbase would still be under U.S. jurisdiction, and that the Qatari air force would not have its own base. When reached for comment by TIME regarding the conservative pushback, the Department of Defense redirected to Hegseth’s social media post. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Many have noted that the deal with Qatar bears similarities to those the U.S. has made with other countries. The German air force still maintains a tactical training command in Texas after decades in New Mexico, and more than 1,000 Singaporean military troops train in the U.S. each year. Pilots from several other NATO allies also train in the U.S.  But President Donald Trump’s relationship with Qatar has come under scrutiny in recent months following a string of deals both in and outside of government.  In April, the Trump family company struck a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar. The next month, Trump unveiled his plan to accept a luxury Boeing jet as a gift from the Qatari government, claiming on Truth Social that the “free” gift would save U.S. money and that “only a FOOL would not accept” the gift. That move received blowback from Republicans and Democrats alike. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move the “kind of thing that even Putin would give a double take,” and Republican lawmakers also aired out national security concerns over the $400 million plane. “He’s going to turn Air Force One into Bribe Force One,” Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts told TIME in May. The Qatari deal follows the nation’s role, along with the U.S. and Egypt, as a mediator in peace talks that led to the newly enacted Israel-Hamas peace deal and ceasefire. In accordance with the first phase of the deal, Israel pulled back its forces in the Gaza Strip to agreed-upon lines on Friday, and Hamas is now expected to release the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. The U.S. plans to send 200 troops to Israel to monitor the deal. Read More: Israel Pulls Back Troops as Gaza Ceasefire Takes Effect “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 during the announcement of the air base in Idaho.