Donald Trump faced widespread criticism after making a major geographical mistake while praising Qatar’s role in mediating peace talks between Israel and Hamas. The president’s comments came during a press briefing aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as he traveled to Israel for the release of hostages from Gaza.
Speaking to reporters, Trump, 79, commended Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, describing him as an “amazing man” for his “tremendous” efforts in helping negotiate the ceasefire. Trump then attempted to explain the challenges Qatar faced due to its location in the Middle East.
“They were very brave and their leader, The Emir, was very brave,” Trump said. “His country is right in the middle of everything. More so than any other country. His country, you walk across a line and you’re there.”
He continued, “Other countries are there, but they’re an hour or an hour and a half away, big difference. They’re literally, you walk over from Iran to Qatar. You can walk it in one second. You go ‘boom boom’ and now you’re in Qatar, that’s tough territory.”
Trump’s remarks quickly drew attention for being factually incorrect. According to Google Maps, Qatar and Iran do not share a border. The two nations are separated by the Persian Gulf, with approximately 510 miles of driving distance through Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. A direct flight between the two countries takes around two hours.
National security reporter John Hudson of The Washington Post and CBS political reporter Kathryn Watson were among those who pointed out the mistake on social media. The White House has not commented on Trump’s statements.
During the same briefing, Trump was asked about his apparent change of tone regarding Qatar. In 2017, early in his presidency, he accused the Gulf nation of supporting terrorism. “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” he said at the time.
On Sunday, Trump acknowledged his earlier stance but said his perspective had changed. “In 2017, I didn’t really know them very well. You know, 2017, that was at the very beginning of my term,” he said. “Qatar was a tremendous help in getting this done. I hope people can realize that… They were very brave, and their leader, the Emir, was very brave, and Qatar should start getting some credit.”
Trump also claimed credit for helping broker peace in the region, declaring, “This will be my eighth war that I’ve solved. I’m good at solving wars. I’m good at making peace, and it’s an honor to do it. I saved millions of lives.” He added that missing the Nobel Peace Prize did not bother him. “I did this not for Nobel, I did this for saving lives,” he said.