Fact Check: Did Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani say he regrets inviting Trump to the Middle East?

DOHA, QATAR: President Donald Trump visited Qatar last week, during his recent Middle East trip, comprising visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. This was Trump's first foreign trip since assuming office for the second time.

Days after his visit, a video showing Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani saying he regrets inviting the POTUS to the Middle East has gone viral. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out.

Claim: Emir of Qatar said he regrets inviting Donald Trump to the Middle East

In the video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani can be heard saying, "I truly regret inviting Trump the robber to the Middle East."

"He didn't come to discuss cooperation, he came to collect tributes. Fountains, palaces, golden welcoming ceremonies, light shows, private flights. In his eyes, these grand gestures are not courtesies, but spoils of war," he added. 

The emir continued, "I originally thought he was here to negotiate partnerships, but it turned out to be nothing but his personal showcase tour. What he needs is not allies, but admirers."

"Those luxury cars, honor guards, and palace banquets were all meant to please him. As long as he feels like a king, he'll almost agree to any deal. He revels in luxury and craves media attention. He doesn't understand real diplomacy, only how much he can gain for us," Al Thani further said. 

"He doesn't need agendas, he just needs cameras. We weren't engaging in international relations, it was more like participating in his grand reality show. Next time, I would rather host dancers from the Crazy Horse Paris than light a single lamp for him again," he concluded. 

The clip, which has gained more than 475,000 views and thousands of likes on X, was also shared on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Threads, Substack, and TikTok.

Fact Check: Video of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was made using AI tools

The audio used in the viral clip was created using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, according to Snopes. AI detector DeepFake-O-Meter rated the audio as 100 percent AI-generated, Snopes reported.

Moreover, the video of Qatar's ruling emir is either AI-generated or an edited version of a 2017 interview with CBS' '60 Minutes', according to the fact-checking outlet.

The original CBS interview from 2017 shows Al Thani discussing a trip during Trump's first term, but nothing he says in the clip aligns with the AI-generated audio from May 2025, per Snopes.

Donald Trump got a royal welcome in Qatar

Donald Trump got a royal welcome in Qatar on May 14, as the president’s motorcade cruised through the streets of Doha, led by a pair of Tesla Cybertrucks.

The Cybertrucks had red-painted hoods and were part of Qatar’s Internal Security Force, known as Lekhwiya. The bold red accents popped in contrast to Trump’s all-black convoy, according to the New York Post.

Before reaching the Gulf state, Trump's Air Force One got a VIP escort of eight fighter jets, per the outlet.

As the POTUS landed, he stood at attention and saluted while the US National Anthem played inside the Amiri Diwan. Trump then shook hands with Qatari officials, while Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani greeted the US delegation.

As he sat down with Al Thani, Trump said, "We’ve been friends for a long time. We’ve liked each other and we’ve worked with each other and now we can work in the highest capacity and we will bring peace not only here, but I know you’re very much involved in helping us in other regions, like what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine."