After years of rallying behind the slogan “America First,” Donald Trump is now facing sharp criticism from within his own ranks — supporters who claim he’s betraying the very values that defined his presidency.
The backlash ignited on Friday after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared at the Pentagon alongside Qatar’s defense minister, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to announce that the U.S. will host a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The agreement will allow Qatari pilots and F-15 fighter jets to operate and train on American soil.
“This facility will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance combined training and interoperability,” Hegseth said, describing it as “another example of our partnership.”
That single word — “partnership” — has sparked fury among Trump’s loyal base, who view the move as a direct contradiction to his long-held nationalist agenda. The notion of allowing a foreign Islamic monarchy to operate inside one of the country’s most conservative states has many conservatives fuming.
“We are rolling out military across the U.S. and then bringing in a non-NATO military? That’s TREASON,” wrote MAGA influencer The General on X.
Conservative activist Amy Mek echoed that outrage. “Twenty-four years after 9/11, our leaders are now inviting the financiers of terrorism to train inside our bases,” she wrote. “We’re being led by officials who no longer recognize — or refuse to name — the enemy they’re inviting into our backyard.”
Right-wing commentator Laura Loomer, a long-time Trump ally, was even more scathing. “No foreign country should have a military base on U.S. soil — especially Islamic countries,” she said. “We are being set up for America to be attacked by Islamic savages from Qatar, the biggest funders of terror in the world. The betrayal stings. WE ARE LOSING OUR COUNTRY!”
Further inflaming tensions, Trump recently signed an executive order guaranteeing U.S. protection for Qatar following an Israeli airstrike in Doha that killed six people. The directive vowed that America would take “all lawful and appropriate measures — including military action if necessary — to defend the State of Qatar.”
For Trump’s America First movement, this was seen as the ultimate betrayal. After years of opposing foreign entanglements, many now accuse him of embracing the very policies they once fought against.
The anger deepened after revelations that Trump had accepted a $400 million aircraft from the Qatari government — a jet reportedly intended to become the new Air Force One. Critics allege that the timing of the deal raises serious ethical questions.
“Is this what ‘shared defense goals’ means now — or just another way politicians get paid to sell out our country?” Mek asked.
Some allies of Trump, such as former Hegseth advisor Dan Caldwell, attempted to cool the outrage, insisting that such training arrangements are normal for U.S. defense partnerships. “This is common practice for countries that buy and operate U.S. aircraft,” he said, citing Singapore’s similar program in Idaho.
However, many conservatives aren’t buying it. “Singapore isn’t Qatar,” one post argued. “And this isn’t ‘common practice’ — it’s betrayal.”
The Pentagon made it official in a statement that left no room for doubt. “I’m proud to sign a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at Mountain Home Airbase,” Hegseth declared as cameras captured the signing.
For many Trump supporters, that moment — seeing an American defense secretary formalize a deal with an Islamic monarchy — was a symbolic collapse of the “America First” vision.
As The General bluntly put it: “This isn’t America First. This is the end of it.”
