After President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, foreign agents working on behalf of the Qatari government appear to have shifted their focus to right-wing media, fueling speculation that the terror-linked Gulf state is attempting to win influence among conservatives.
Between January 1, 2024, and election day, just over 10% of communications sent by Qatari foreign agents to the media were directed to conservative outlets or commenters, according to a Washington Examiner review of Department of Justice records.
Since Republicans won control of the White House and Congress on election day, the proportion of messages sent by Qatari operatives to conservative outlets and commenters has surged to more than half of their total correspondence with the media.
Perhaps Qatar’s biggest victory in its post-election right-wing media campaign thus far was securing an interview between Tucker Carlson and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in March. The interview, which has raked up nearly six million views across X and YouTube, was friendly, with Carlson praising the country.
Qatar paid top dollar to ensure this interview took place. Foreign Agents Registration Act records show that Lumen8 Advisors LLC, a legal consulting company for which very little public information is available, helped facilitate between Carlson and the Qatari dignitary. The Embassy of the State of Qatar pays Lumen8 Advisors $180,000 per month “to provide media and communication coaching and consulting services.”
“Qatar wants to further cement ties with Trump and allies for many reasons, including to defend itself against Republican attacks for its relationship with Hamas and Iran,” Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said of the Carlson interview.