Donald Trump’s three-word response as he’s greeted by hair twirlers in Abu Dhabi for lavish state dinner: Live updates

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN ABU DHABI

Published: 07:24 EDT, 15 May 2025 | Updated: 14:14 EDT, 15 May 2025

President Donald Trump was greeted in Abu Dhabi by dozens of children waving U.S. and UEA flags and women doing a traditional ‘Al-Ayyala’ hair flip dance.

He was astounded by the over-the-top show, proclaiming ‘I love it!’ to reporters who looked on nearby. 

The U.S. president is in the United Arab Emirates to tout ‘tremendous’ trillion-dollar deals with Middle Eastern allies. 

He called the U.S. a ‘hot country’ because he has secured historic investments and is getting the economy back on track.

Trump also accepted a lavish necklace made of pure gold before heading into the dinner.

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Trump greeted by hair twirlers at his third state dinner in three nights

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

President Donald Trump arrived for this third state dinner in three nights – this time at the presidential palace Thursday night in Abu Dhabi.

He was greeted by dozens of children – waving U.S. and UEA flags – and women doing a traditional ‘Al-Ayyala’ hair flip dance.

‘I love it!’ he proclaimed as he walked between the dancers.

The festivities were being held by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Trump brought a number of Cabinet members and top aides to meet the emir, who was especially chatty with immigration hardliner Stephen Miller.

Other members of Trump’s entourage included Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

‘It’s an amazing culture,’ Trump told reporters.

He gleefully took in the grand palaces and gestures during his three-country tour of the Middle East, which started in Saudi Arabia, moved on to Qatar and will conclude tomorrow with final meetings and tours in UAE.

Trump reveals why there’s no peace deal in Ukraine

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump said there would be no peace deal in Ukraine until he and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet on the subject.

‘Nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together,’ he told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates.

His comments came after Putin declined to attend peace talks in Turkey, sending aides and deputy ministers instead of going himself. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Erdoğan but has said he won’t attend any peace talks without his Russian counterpart.

Trump mulled making a stop in Turkey himself to attend the talks but is in the midst of a packed schedule in the Middle East.

He said it was ‘obvious’ Putin wouldn’t go to Istanbul since he wasn’t there.

‘Obviously, he wasn’t going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. And I don’t believe anything is going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together, but we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying,’ Trump said.

Pam Bondi raises eyebrows with massive $1M stock dump on Trump tariffs Liberation Day

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million in stock on the same day Donald Trump announced his sweeping tariff regime in early April.

The trade, which was revealed in Bondi’s required federal disclosures, has raised eyebrows for its size and timing.

The stock sold was in the president’s own company Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (TMTG), which owns the Truth Social network, according to a copy of the disclosure.

Although it is unclear exactly what time Bondi sold her Trump stock, the president did not announce his tariff plan until after the U.S. stock markets had already closed.

It is not marked on the disclosures whether the attorney general sold before or after the public tariff announcement on April 2.

Exclusive:MAGA ally takes ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ outrage to next level with hilarious move trolling Democrats

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

To MAGA haters, thinking of Donald Trump evokes an automatic rage-filled response called ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome,’ and now Congress wants it studied.

For nearly a decade, extreme political animus toward the 45th and 47th president has been commonplace.

He has been called an enemy of democracy, a fascist and a dictator akin to Hitler by his political opponents, including from some within his own party.

Trump has been so heavily demonized that his actions – maybe even his mere existence – have sparked nationwide protests, effigy burnings and multiple assassination attempts.

So to finally get to the bottom of what is fueling the fiery outrage, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, introduced the Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) Research Act of 2025 on Thursday to study this presidential phenomenon.

‘TDS has divided families, the country, and led to nationwide violence—including two assassination attempts on President Trump,’ Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, told the Daily Mail in a statement.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett slams Trump’s Solicitor General for evading liberal colleague’s question

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett tore into President Donald Trump’s solicitor general for resisting answering a question from one of her liberal counterparts.

Solicitor General Dean John Sauer was accused of giving an insufficient response to Justice Elena Kagan in the birthright citizenship case on Thursday.

‘Sir, are you really going to answer Justice Kagan by saying there’s no way to do this expeditiously?’ Coney Barrett pressed Sauer. ‘You resisted Justice Kagan when she said, ‘‘Could the individual plaintiffs form a class.’’

‘Were a class appropriate for class certification, you can see that it could resolve the question quickly?’ the Justice asked.

‘Yes, absolutely it could do so. I mean, we obviously dispute that,’ replied Sauer, who represented Trump in his federal obstruction case.

The tense back-and-forth came during part of the case where Sauer contests that a district judge should not be able to stop the president from enacting an executive order that ends birthright citizenship.

Trump solicitor general admits he ‘doesn’t know’ how Birthright citizenship order would be enforced

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Donald Trump’s Solicitor General John Sauer cast doubt on whether there is a plan for enforcing the president’s birthright citizenship executive order.

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on Thursday for challenges to Trump’s effort to get rid of birthright citizenship for those born in the U.S. to undocumented people.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked Sauer to explain how a hospital or state would determine if a new born were a legal U.S. citizens if the order were upheld.

‘The federal officials will have to figure that out,’ Sauers said, to which Kavanaugh pressed: ‘How?’

He replied in the wild exchange, ‘You can imagine a number of ways,’ before providing an example of how officials would check citizenship status of babies.

‘For all the newborns, is that how it’s going to work?’ Kavanaugh asked.

Sauers admitted: ‘Again, we don’t know.’

Trump presented the ‘Order of Zayed’ – a pure gold necklace – by UAE’s president

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

President Donald Trump was presented with the United Arab Emirates’ highest civil honor – the Order of Zayed – which is a necklace made of pure gold.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented Trump with the honor during a state visit Thursday evening to the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi.

The president grinned as he showed off the massive necklace that was kept in its display box.

Thursday night’s festivities mark the third state visit in three days for Trump – who’s on a whirlwind trip to the Middle East traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

Tiffany Trump welcomes baby boy

Tiffany Trump, 31, welcomed her first child with husband Michael Boulos.

Taking to Instagram to make the announcement, she shared a black-and-white snapshot of the baby’s foot, alongside a caption that read: ‘Welcome to the world our sweet baby boy, Alexander Trump Boulos.

‘We love you beyond words! Thank you for coming into our lives!’

Tiffany’s baby is President Donald Trump’s 11th grandchild.

Karoline Leavitt says her waiter told her to ‘thank’ Trump Senate Republicans urge Trump to secure nuclear deal with Iran in new letter

Victoria Churchill, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

Nearly every single member of the Senate Republican caucus has signed on to a letter urging President Donald Trump to sign a deal dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.

‘We write to express our strong support for your efforts to secure a deal with Iran that dismantles its nuclear program, and to reinforce the explicit warnings that you and officials in your Administration have issued that the regime must permanently give up any capacity for enrichment,’ the letter reads.

‘We cannot afford another agreement that enables Iran to play for time, as the JCPOA did. The Iranian regime should know that the Administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is permanently eliminated. As always, we stand ready to provide you and your Administration whatever resources you need to advance American national security interests,’ they added.

Trump has hinted at a deal between the United States and Iran over the course of his trip to the Gulf states this week, noting Thursday that Tehran has ‘sort of’ agreed to terms.

Notably, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky – who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – did not sign the letter.

Exclusive:ICE Barbie Kristi Noem is backing insane reality TV show

She’s been called ‘ICE Barbie’ for treating her Cabinet position like a TV production, but now Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pushing for an actual reality show pitting immigrants against each other ‘for the honor of fast-tracking their way to U.S. citizenship’.

It may sound like a joke, but the idea is for real and is outlined in a 35-page program pitch put together in coordination with the DHS secretary, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

Noem is even offering up officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to tally votes for the made-for-TV contest.

Exclusive:Trump’s full-scale crackdown on China’s plot to steal babies’ DNA

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

President Donald Trump ‘s administration is conducting a full-scale crackdown on baby formula as it puts under scrutiny the link between Chinese labs and the U.S. food and beverage supply.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are sounding the alarm and plan to demand full disclosure on the extent of links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and U.S.-funded labs.

Specifically, HHS officials tell the Daily Mail they are worried that Chinese intelligence already has access to a slew of information on DNA and biometrics because companies with this data are operating in China .

Insiders at HHS, the FBI and on Capitol Hill claim companies with facilities in China are subjecting all of their information to interception by Chinese intelligence.

‘Any company operating in China is subject to the Chinese Communist Party’s intelligence laws, which require full cooperation with their surveillance apparatus,’ Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.) told the Daily Mail.

Trump receives sweet welcome gift upon arrival in Abu DhabiAlina Habba arrives in court for Newark Mayor’s hearing

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba arrived in court for the hearing of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Thursday.

The Democrat was arrested earlier this month for trespassing at an immigrant detention facility in the state.

In a large scuffle, lawmakers and other protesters were seen on video shoving members of law enforcement who were guarding the newly opened detention center.

President Donald Trump’s team warned anyone – even an election official – who interferes with their operations is opening themselves up to arrest and prosecution.

Theo Von surprises troops in Qatar

Podcaster and comedian Theo Von surprised troops who were gathered to hear from President Donald Trump at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

He explained that Trump team called and asked him to perform for the troops ahead of the president’s speech which surprised him.

‘Yeah, if you’re hiring me to over there and help with peace, than things are not good,’ he joked. ‘I’m on TMZ right now having a bar fight in Nashville so I think you guys caught me on a tough week for peace, man.’

Qatari prime minister makes audacious claim about $400 million luxury jet gifted to Trump… as even MAGA allies raise alarms

Qatar‘s prime minister has sensationally claimed his nation does not need to ‘buy influence’ in the United States amid mounting backlash about a $400million luxury jet offered to President Donald Trump.

Legions of Trump’s own supporters, including high-profile MAGA personalities and Republicans, have led criticism against a proposed deal which would gift the president a plane to convert into his new Air Force One.

Ownership of the ‘palace in the sky’ would transfer to Trump’s presidential library at the end of his term if the deal goes ahead as intended.

Speaking to CNN, Qatari prime minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani described the offer as ‘a very simple government-to-government dealing.

‘Why would we buy an influence in the United States?’ he asked.

Hegseth blames fighting in world on ‘wokeness’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blamed the fighting in the world – from Gaza to Ukraine – on ‘wokeness and weakness.’

‘Sadly, over the last four years, we saw a collapse in Afghanistan, what happened on October 7, the war in Ukraine, violence unleashed by wokeness and weakness, but under President Trump, we’re seeing a renaissance of peace through strength,’ he told U.S. troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Hegseth bragged about the changes he made to the military, saying there was ‘no more political correctness, gender pronouns, DEI.’

Trump tours UAE’s largest mosque

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, raving about the beauty of the white mable center of worship.

‘It’s so beautiful. This is an incredible culture,’ Trump told reporters during the tour. ‘I’m so very proud of my friends.’

He noted the mosque, which is the largest in the United Arab Emirates, was closed for his visit.

‘This is the first time they’ve closed the mosque. It’s in honor of the United States,’ he said. ‘It’s a great tribute. Thank you.’

Trump removed his shoes for the tour as is required to be inside the mosque.

The mosque opened in 2007. It features 82 domes, more than 1,000 columns, 24-carat-gold gilded chandeliers and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet.

President Donald Trump tours the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with Yousif Al Obaidli, the mosque’s director, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaldoon Khalifa and Ameena Al Hammadi, acting director of the Culture and Knowledge Department

Trump demands ending birthright citizenship for undocumented people in the U.S.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to end birthright citizenship for those born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants.

The president published a social media post on Thursday as the Supreme Court kicks off oral arguements for the case pertaining to the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause.

Trump claims that illegal immigrants and drug cartles are ‘laughing at the sucker’ Americans who allow their children born on U.S. soil to have automatic U.S. citizenship.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social account:

Birthright Citizenship was not meant for people taking vacations to become permanent Citizens of the United States of America, and bringing their families with them, all the time laughing at the “SUCKERS” that we are! The United States of America is the only Country in the World that does this, for what reason, nobody knows — But the drug cartels love it!

Buttigieg trolls Trump

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Pete Buttigieg took to social media to troll President Donald Trump, writing he was going for a bike ride.

‘It’s a perfect Up North Michigan morning. Good day for a bike ride, eh?,’ he wrote. He and husband Chasten live in Michigan with their two children.

His remark comes after Trump mocked the former Transportation Secretary for his commuting method of choice.

‘Can you believe it — he’s running the biggest air system in the world, and he takes a bicycle to work, what a — and they say he’s going to run for president. I don’t see it. Who knows but I don’t see it,’ Trump said during a breakfast with business leaders in Doha.

Buttigieg visited Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, sparking speculation he’ll run for president again.

JD Vance to return to the Vatican for Pope Leo XVI’s inaugural Mass

Vice President JD Vance plans to return to the Vatican on Sunday for Pope Leo XVI’s inaugural Mass.

Vance will be joined by his wife Usha and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Bloomberg News.

The vice president, who converted to the Catholic faith in 2019, was last at the Vatican in April where he met briefly with Pope Francis just hours before his death.

Pope Leo is the first American pope, as he was born in Chicago.

Trump departs Qatar for UAE

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

A Qatari military flyover honored President Donald Trump as he prepared to leave that country.

Helicopters and fighter jets in formation flew over Air Force One before Trump boarded the presidential plane.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani joined the president at Al-Udeid air base to wave him goodbye. Trump is headed to the final stop in his four-day Middle East trip: the United Arab Emirates.

The president is scheduled to tour Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and attend a state dinner in Abu Dhabi upon his arrival.

Trump’s latest pitch for Gaza: ‘Make it a freedom zone’

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Doha, Qatar

President Donald Trump’s latest pitch for Gaza is to turn the war-torn Palestinian territory into a ‘freedom zone.’

Trump made the pitch Thursday morning in front of business leaders in Doha, during this week’s three-country tour of the Middle East.

Qatar has been the host site of Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks.

Arab leaders had previously bristled at Trump’s suggestion to turn Gaza into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East,’ as the president gave an imprecise answer on what would happen to the Palestinians living there.

‘I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,’ Trump said Thursday morning. ‘I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.’

Trump’s original pitch to turn Gaza into a ‘Riviera’ – as opposed to a Palestinian state – led Arab leaders to call an emergency meeting in Cairo to come up with their own plan.

Trump slams Buttigieg amid 2028 speculation

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump ridiculed Pete Buttigieg as the former Transportation Secretary is mulling a run for president in 2028.

‘Can you believe it — he’s running the biggest air system in the world, and he takes a bicycle to work, what a — and they say he’s going to run for president. I don’t see it. Who knows but I don’t see it,’ Trump said during a breakfast with business leaders in Doha.

Buttigieg visited Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, sparking speculation he’ll run for president again. He’s also emerged as a fierce critic of the Trump administration.

‘There is a parade of horribles emanating from this White House,’ Buttigieg said, adding: ‘The American people bow to no king.’

Buttigieg also noted that on his last trip to the state: ‘I was sort of winning the Iowa caucus.’

India wants ‘no tariffs’ trade deal, Trump says

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump said India had offered the U.S a trade deal that proposed ‘no tariffs.’

‘It is very hard to sell in India, and they are offering us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs,’ Trump said in a meeting with business leaders in Doha.

Trump had initiated a 26 percent import tax on India but then instituted a 90-day pause to allow for negotiations.

The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner.

Trump renews third term talk

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump renewed speculation he’d run for a third term in a speech to U.S. troops stationed in Qatar.

‘We won three elections, ok? And some people want us to do a fourth. I don’t know. We’ll have to think about that,’ he said.

He also noted the speculation drives Democrats crazy.

‘The hottest hat is, it says Trump 2028. We’re driving the left crazy when you see that,’ he added.

Trump says U.S. close to nuclear deal with Iran

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump said the United States is very close to securing a deal with Iran that would include Tehran agreeing to no nuclear weapons.

He said Tehran had ‘sort of’ agreed to the terms.

‘We’re getting close to maybe doing a deal,’ he said at a breakfast with business leaders in Doha. ‘We’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace. … If we do that it will be fantastic.’

Trump said he wants a deal done.

‘I want them to succeed. I want them to end up being a great country frankly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapons,’ he noted of Tehran.

Iran is willing to sign a deal that would allow it to enrich uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian uses. The deal alsp would require Tehran to give up its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium in exchange for lifting all sanctions, NBC News reported.

Trump says he could still go to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine peace talks that Putin is skipping

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Doha, Qatar

President Donald Trump kept the door open to showing up to the Russia-Ukraine negotiations that are expected to happen in Turkey on Thursday.

‘I was thinking about going, but it’s very tough because of what we’re doing today and tomorrow. But you know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate,’ Trump said.

The status of the peace talks is unclear. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to attend, sending aides and deputy ministers instead of going himself. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is headed to Turkey but said he wouldn’t attend the high-stakes talks unless Putin was there as well.

Trump pays tribute to U.S. troops

President Donald Trump offered a love letter to American troops on Thursday when he spoke at the biggest American base in the Middle East and offered his personal thanks to a soldier who helped during the Butler assassination attempt.

Trump held a campaign-style rally at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar – complete with his signature song and dance moves – as he thanked the military for its political support and promised to ‘end conflicts’ around the world.

‘As president, it’s my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America,’ he said.

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Donald Trump’s three-word response as he’s greeted by hair twirlers in Abu Dhabi for lavish state dinner: Live updates