The Real Qatar Scandal Isn’t Trump

The Real Qatar Scandal Isn’t Trump—It’s the Education Takeover the Left Ignored

President Trump’s recent meeting with the Emir of Qatar has triggered predictable outrage—from the usual suspects. Legacy Jewish organizations, progressive pundits, and partisan watchdogs are spinning his diplomatic engagement as morally compromised and politically opportunistic. They claim it’s hypocritical for Trump to stand against antisemitism while meeting with the head of a regime that funds terror and antisemitic propaganda.

But here’s the real hypocrisy: Where were these voices for the last decade, as Qatar quietly invested billions in American institutions—from the Ivy League to suburban public schools—embedding antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Western ideologies into the curriculum? Where were the op-eds, the press releases, and the Zoom panels when Qatar poured over $5 billion into U.S. universities, often with no transparency or accountability? Where was the outrage when the Choices Program and other Qatari-sponsored initiatives crept into K-12 education, reframing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a distorted, grievance-laden lens?

The left is crying foul now because President Trump had a meeting. Meanwhile, they said nothing as our classrooms became pipelines for indoctrination.

This sudden concern about Qatar isn’t about principles—it’s about politics. If President Biden had hosted the same meeting with the same Emir under the same pretense of diplomacy, it would’ve been hailed as nuanced statecraft. When Obama bowed to the Qatari regime—literally and diplomatically—there was no protest from mainstream Jewish organizations, and no hand-wringing from the editorial boards. But when Trump engages, even to advance America’s strategic or economic interests, the knives come out.

Let’s be clear: Qatar is no friend to the West. It bankrolls Hamas. It owns Al Jazeera, a media empire that legitimizes terror and spreads anti-American propaganda. It has propped up the Muslim Brotherhood and given sanctuary to radicals. Its money has corrupted our campuses and compromised academic freedom. But the scandal here isn’t that President Trump is trying to negotiate with a bad actor—it’s that so many of the loudest critics now were silent as Qatar embedded itself into the soul of American education.

At a time when Jewish students are being harassed, intimidated, and assaulted on campuses across the country, President Trump is taking meaningful steps to fight back. He’s revoked federal funding from universities that fail to protect Jewish students. He’s holding Harvard and others accountable. His executive orders are forcing a long-overdue reckoning in the education system. And he’s not stopping at higher ed—he’s shining a light on what’s happening in K-12 too, especially in districts like Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and others where critical theory has replaced critical thinking, and where Israel is portrayed as the villain in a deeply flawed morality play.

In contrast, legacy Jewish organizations have spent more time cautioning against other forms of hatred than standing up for Jewish students. They’ve wrung their hands about Trump’s tone while ignoring the structural rot that’s been eating away at education for a generation. They’ve treated antisemitism as an unfortunate byproduct of political tension, not the direct result of foreign-funded ideological warfare.

This is what happens when politics trumps principle. The same people who demand “equity” in education refuse to admit that their silence has helped enable the most well-funded and well-coordinated antisemitic campaign we’ve seen on American soil in decades—and it didn’t start with Trump, and it won’t end because of one meeting.

Let’s not pretend that we can only engage with democratic allies. Every American president has met with autocrats and theocrats in pursuit of national interest. Roosevelt met with Stalin. Nixon went to China. Obama met with the leaders of Iran. Engagement is not endorsement.

The question isn’t whether Trump should meet with the Emir. The question is: what is he doing in the aftermath of that meeting to protect American interests and Jewish safety?

So far, his track record is strong. His administration continues to make combating antisemitism a priority—not just rhetorically, but with policy and enforcement. He’s addressing the root of the problem, even when it’s politically uncomfortable. He’s unafraid to name names, shut off funding, and force accountability where others have only made excuses.

Meanwhile, his critics want to play purity politics with their heads in the sand and their hands off the wheel.

If the Jewish community wants to take Qatar’s threat seriously—and we should—then let’s focus on the real damage: the capture of our educational institutions, the gaslighting of our children, and the cowardice of those who knew it was happening and did nothing.

It’s easy to criticize a meeting. It’s harder to confront the infrastructure of influence that allowed Qatar to rewrite our syllabi, redefine our values, and erase Jewish legitimacy from the next generation’s worldview.

President Trump didn’t build that system—he’s trying to dismantle it. That’s why he deserves our thanks, not our lectures.

Let’s stop the selective outrage. Let’s demand integrity from those who’ve had none. And let’s get serious about the actual threat—before it’s too late.