Foreign leaders hedge their bets by visiting Trump

Major international leaders are increasingly looking to curry favor -- or restablish old ties --with former President Donald Trump as the election approaches, seemingly hoping to hedge their bets in the next election and secure a positive relationship with his prospective administration.

Over the weekend, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met with the Republican presidential nominee. Trump had also been slated to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, though that event was canceled. Last week, Trump also signaled that he expects a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, though New Delhi has not confirmed any such plans.

The flurry of planned foreign meetings comes as the election enters its final stretch. Though it may not be indicative of foreign perceptions of Trump’s chances, the interest of international figures in meeting with him suggests that other nations at least hope to cover their bases should he manage to return to the White House. The Trump campaign, however, sees it as a positive sign for his candidacy.

"Foreign leaders want to meet with President Trump because they know he will be back in the White House and is the only person capable of restoring peace around the world,” Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Just the News.

While Trump has previously hosted foreign leaders at his Mar-a-Lago resort, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the recent and upcoming guest list stretches beyond the U.S.’s traditionally close allies and nations led by figures linked to him.

Here’s a look at which countries have sought face time with Trump and their situation on the world stage.

Qatar

Trump met with the Emir of Qatar over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago. The small, middle eastern nation has been a key player in fostering negotiations between Israel and the terror group Hamas amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

“It was great seeing my friends His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar and His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“The Amir [sic] has proven to be a great and powerful leader of his country, advancing on all levels at record speed,” he went on. “He is someone also who strongly wants peace in the Middle East, and all over the world. We had a great relationship during my years in the White House, and it will be even stronger this time around!”

Amid the conflict, the country has also worked with the U.S. to refreeze sanctioned funds for Iran that the Biden administration previously agreed to release. The Oct. 7 Hamas raid, however, led to a reversal and Qatar froze $6 billion in Iranian funds that were transferred to the country as part of a prisoner exchange.

Poland

Trump had been slated to meet with Polish President Duda at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Bucks County, Pa., though that event was canceled for unspecified reasons.

Trump ultimately shared footage of Duda’s speech at the shrine, calling him his “great friend” and recounting his own speech from 2017 in Poland. Duda, a conservative, has generally enjoyed strong relations with Trump throughout their shared political tenures.

Poland has been a key security partner for the U.S. amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The country took in millions of refugees and has been a crucial supply route for western aid to Kyiv. 

India

Trump signaled last week that he expects to meet with Indian Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the United States, though that remains unconfirmed as of press time.

“So when India, which is a very big abuser, he happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he's fantastic. I mean, fantastic, man,” Trump said at a town hall in Flint, Michigan. 

Trump’s “abuser” comment referred to India’s trade practices and came up in the context of Trump proposing “reciprocal trade” policies. He further expressed admiration for Modi and other world leaders who had managed to secure favorable trade relations with the U.S.

“A lot of these leaders are fantastic… You know the expression, they're at the top of their game. And they use this. But India is very tough,” he said.

The Indian government has yet to confirm any plans to meet with Trump, though Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said “there are many meetings with the prime minister right now which we are trying to fix,” according to the South China Morning Post. 

Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been a close ally of Trump for years and a particularly vocal advocate on the world stage for his return to the White House.

Orban met with Trump in July after attending a NATO summit, marking his second visit with Trump this year. The former president hosted Orban at Mar-a-Lago in March, when the pair discussed what the Trump campaign said were "a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation."

Hungary currently holds the presidency of the European Council and Orban has been a leading advocate for ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia. While he has pursued his own efforts to foster negotiations, Orban has lent his voice to Trump’s claims that the war would not have broken out had he remained in the White House.

"It is up to Americans to make their own decision, and it is up to us Hungarians to frankly admit that it would be better for the world – and better for Hungary, too – if President Donald Trump were to return to power," he said in March.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in July of this year. The pair worked closely together during the Trump administration when the president fostered the historic Abraham Accords, a diplomatic arrangement between Israel and several Islamic nations to normalize relations.

"President Trump expressed his solidarity with Israel after the heinous October 7 attack, and pledged that when he returns to the White House, he will make every effort to bring Peace to the Middle East and combat anti-Semitism from spreading throughout college campuses across the United States," the campaign said of the meeting.

Netanyahu, for his part, shared photos of the event, but offered little in the way of public remarks.

United Kingdom

Then-UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited Mar-a-Lago in April to discuss the ongoing Ukraine War. Trump has generally been skeptical of further aid to Ukraine, while the UK government has been one of its leading advocates in Europe.

The pair discussed the conflict and possible peace agreements during the meeting. The Conservative Party government has since lost power in London, however, and Cameron is no longer in the post.