President Donald Trump recently raised a "huge red flag" about his relationship with a foreign country, according to political analysts and observers.
On Wednesday, Semafor reported that Trump is keeping revenue from the oil the U.S. has seized from Venezuela in a bank account in Qatar. The report cited "an administration official" and said the money was being kept in Qatar because "money can flow freely with U.S. approval and without risk of seizure."
Trump's relationship with Qatar has been heavily scrutinized throughout his political career. During his second administration, the country gave Trump a $400 million airplane that the president has said he will use once he leaves office.
Qatar has also hosted U.S.-led peace talks between Israel and Hamas.
Political analysts and observers seemed flabbergasted by the report of Trump keeping oil revenues in Qatar, and shared their reactions on social media.
"Totally nothing to see here!" left-leaning Fox News host Jessica Tarlov posted on X.
"Trump is selling seized Venezuelan oil and putting the cash in a bank account in Qatar," Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, posted on X. "Nothing to see here."
"Seizure ... by whom?" MS NOW contributor Phillip Bump posted on Bluesky. "If we're asserting that the money is safer in Qatar than the US, that suggests that it is being protected because Qatar has something the US lacks — presumably a lack of accountability to American courts and Congress."
"I feel like I’m taking crazy pills," Benjamin McKean, associate professor of political science at Ohio State University, posted on Bluesky.
"Laundering the $$ through Qatar instead of American banks is a huge red flag. The corruption is out in the open," Corey Rayburn Yung, a law professor at the University of Kansas, posted on Bluesky.
