Doha, Qatar - President Donald Trump said Wednesday Qatar Airways had placed a "record" order for 160 planes from Boeing worth more than $200 billion as he signed a raft of deals in Doha alongside Qatar's emir.

"It's over $200 billion, but 160 in terms of the jets. That's fantastic. So that's a record," Trump said, adding: "It's the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That's pretty good."

His comments followed a deal signing ceremony that included defence agreements, including on defense cooperation and the purchase by Qatar of American MQ-9B drones, after about two hours of talks with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

His Qatar visit is the second destination of his Gulf tour, after a first stop in Riyadh, where he made a surprise announcement lifting sanctions on Syria and met the country's president.

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Relations between Washington and Doha have been in the spotlight over Qatar's offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use.

Trump's presidential motorcade made its way from the airport to central Doha, led by two Tesla Cybertruck cars, customized in the distinctive red of Qatar's internal security forces.

Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and world's richest man, was a key campaign contributor for Trump's 2024 re-election for a second term and has played a prominent early role in this Trump administration.