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Trump Gaggles with Press on Air Force One in Qatar, Oct. 25, 2025

October 25, 2025 · The White House · 0:05:32

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump took questions on Air Force One in Qatar on October 25, 2025, after meeting the Emir and the prime minister aboard the plane during the refueling stop, as the White House broadcast records. “We have peace in the Middle East. That’s what we have. Great peace in the Middle East. He thinks it’s enduring,” the President said of the Emir’s view, noting that “59 countries” had signed on to the arrangement. He attributed the breakthrough to the removal of Iran’s nuclear capability: “When we took out that nuclear capability, which would have happened over the next month to two months — that made a whole big difference in the Middle East. It made it possible to do the deal,” as he stated it.

On the Gaza ceasefire’s durability: “I believe it will hold. Yeah. Oh, it’s going to hold,” he said — but added that if it does not, “Hamas will have a very, very big problem.” He said the stabilization force was being assembled now: “They’re actually picking leaders right now.” On Russia and Ukraine: “You have to know that we’re going to make a deal. I’m not going to be wasting my time… I’ve always had a great relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing,” he said, noting he believed even Putin had found the Armenia-Azerbaijan deal “amazing.” He said China was “cutting back very substantially” on Russian oil purchases and India “cutting back completely,” citing the sanctions regime.

On the upcoming meeting with President Xi: “A complete deal. I want our farmers to be taken care of and he wants things also. We’re going to be talking about fentanyl, of course,” he said, with trade, fentanyl, and agricultural purchases on the agenda. He called the reported NBA gambling investigation “very bad… terrible,” and said of a call with Japan’s new prime minister, Takaichi: “She was a very, very close ally and friend of Prime Minister Abe. You know, he was one of my favorites.”

Why it matters

The mid-trip state of play in the President’s own words: the Middle East peace declared enduring with 59 countries signed on, the stabilization force forming, and the Xi meeting framed as a “complete deal” agenda — all en route to Asia.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: the 59-country Middle East peace framework and the President’s ’enduring peace’ commitment as stated October 25, 2025; the stabilization force’s formation; and the Xi meeting agenda (farmers, fentanyl, agricultural purchases). Flagged for the scoreboard editor; no entry is published from this page.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Gaggles with Press on Air Force One in Qatar, Oct. 25, 2025” (official upload, embedded above). Remarks as delivered in the gaggle.