Fox News host and avid Trump supporter Sean Hannity joined the president Monday on his flight to the Middle East, where he conducted an interview for his primetime show.
Earlier in the afternoon, Hannity announced on X that he would be joining Trump on his four-day tour through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“We’ll be in Saudi Arabia—Riyadh. And we look forward to seeing you all there,” he said while on the tarmac in front of Air Force One, which he observed was ”a pretty big plane.”
Trump’s assistant, Dan Scavino, teased the interview in a brief, soundless video he posted on X. The sit-down will air Tuesday night.
Hannity has a history of buttering up his longtime friend, who he speaks with regularly both on and off the air.
If the past is any indicator, then Trump was again “amazing,” as Hannity gushed after speaking with the president back in January.
This week’s trip abroad coincides with the controversial donation of a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane from the Qatari royal family. The $400 million plane is set to be upgraded to become Air Force One, and Trump plans to use it after leaving office by having it donated to his presidential library.
The Trump administration insists that the massive, unprecedented gift doesn’t amount to bribery. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump’s top White House lawyer, David Warrington, have concluded that the gift is “legally permissible” because it’s going to the U.S. Air Force, then Trump’s presidential library foundation.
Additionally, they said, the gift doesn’t hinge on an official act.
Concerns remain, though, especially due to the timing of the gift and how Trump has personal business dealings in the Middle East.
“Clearly he is trying to make money there, and that puts us in an uncomfortable situation,” Jordan Libowitz, vice president in communications for the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told NPR. “Is America’s best interest being served, or is it the best interests of the Trump Organization?”
Yet anyone looking to hear any tough questioning on the issue from Hannity, who literally campaigned for Trump on stage back in 2018, may be disappointed.
