President Trump got American troops fired up when he spontaneously broke out into his iconic “Trump Dance” during a speech at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, in which the president reportedly celebrated the Allied victory against Nazi Germany on its 80th anniversary and vowed to hold a major military parade in the U.S. in honor of the troops.
For context, President Trump departed for the Middle East on May 13, 2025, with an itinerary that included stops in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to press accounts, the trip was primarily devoted to strengthening business relationships with Middle Eastern leaders, as well as working to deter Iran from constructing a nuclear weapon and announcing the lifting of sanctions on Syria. In addition, the President addressed the troops stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. installation in the Middle East.
Before starting his address to the troops at Al Udeid, President Trump walked in to a live performance of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” during which he briefly broke into his “Trump dance,” prompting the crowd to go wild. He went on to tell the troops, “We’re gonna have a little fun. I have nothing else to do, so let’s have a little fun, right?”
Continuing, the president reportedly said that America’s military would be “bigger, better, stronger, and more powerful than ever before,” adding, “Hopefully, it’s peace through strength. Hopefully, we don’t have to use it.” He also described the Middle East as “an amazing part of the world,” describing U.S.-Middle East relations as having “never been stronger.”
Furthermore, in a key moment in his speech, President Trump told the troops that he had recently signed an order to build the Golden Dome missile defense shield “to protect our country from missile attack,” asking the crowd, “Is everybody okay with that? And receiving a huge round of applause in response. He added that he “sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week.”
In addition, a Department of Defense press release from May 16, 2025, confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also addressed the troops at Al Udeid Air Base, reportedly telling the gathered service members, “At the Pentagon, we are committed to President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda and to achieving a more stable and prosperous Middle East.”
Continuing, Secretary Hegseth told the troops that the Trump Administration was restoring the “warrior ethos,” adding, “We’re also rebuilding our military. President Trump has committed [to] a trillion-dollar defense budget, a historic budget unlike any before — a generational rebuilding of our capabilities. We will have the best ships, the best subs, the best planes, the best fighters, the best drones, missiles, air defense, space defense, border security [and] ‘Golden Dome’ … America will be stronger than ever before.”
"*" indicates required fields
Furthermore, according to press accounts, President Trump made efforts to ensure that Iran does not develop or possess a nuclear weapon during his Middle East trip. He reportedly told Saudi Arabian leaders, “If Iran’s leadership rejects the olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure. The choice is theirs to make.”
Watch President Trump do his iconic dance:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video