U.S. Armed Forces “At Ease” For Visit From President And Entertainers
“Quick pic of me and my boss” is what one soldier stationed at Al Udeid Air Base posted with a photo of himself in the crowd behind President Donald Trump as he approached the podium to deliver his speech to the troops on May 15.
“We can all relax and be at ease,” Trump told them, adding, “We’re gonna have a little fun. I have nothing else to do, so let’s have a little fun, right?”
As Trump described them, the United States military is “without a doubt, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world,” and they were rewarded for their service with not only a visit by the commander-in-chief, but also some special guests.
Country artist Lee Greenwood sang for the troops, and comedian and podcast host Theo Von did a standup set.
Lee Greenwood Performs For Trump, Royalty, And U.S. Military
Going back to 2015, just about any event with Trump has begun with a particular tune: Lee Greenwood’s 1984 hit song “God Bless The U.S.A.”
Trump’s visit to Al Udeid, affectionally called “The Deid” by the troops, was no different, except that Greenwood was there in person to sing the president up to the podium for his speech.
The president’s speech was preceded by a full set by Greenwood, with the country singer posting a reflection on his trip to Qatar on X, formerly Twitter.
There, Greenwood revealed he had also sung for Trump and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, the night before, on May 14.
Early in Trump’s speech to the troops, he thanked Greenwood, saying, “Nobody could’ve done better than Lee. He’s been so loyal and so great.”
He also spoke on the significance of “God Bless The U.S.A.,” stating, “You know, that song was a successful song, but we made it … No. 1. It’s the top of the list of that kind of song.”
There’s been 968 rallies Trump has played Greenwood’s song at as his walk-on song, Trump noted, adding, “You could get Elvis or anybody else to do a song, but that was my intro song, right from the beginning.”
Nashville-Based Comedian Gets Laughs From Troops
“I want to influence you to clap for a man who is a great influencer,” Trump said, alluding to Theo Von.
The Nashville-based comedian had just done a standup set for the troops when Trump told the soldiers in attendance the story of how they crossed paths in 2024.
During Trump’s campaign for president in 2024, Trump was a guest on Theo Von’s podcast, called This Past Weekend. He recalled how his youngest son, Barron Trump, urged him to go on the podcast, saying, “‘Dad, you’ve gotta do an interview with a guy named Theo Von.’”
Admitting he “didn’t know all the names” of the influencers that 19-year-olds like Barron are familiar with, Trump noted he “had a good time” talking with Theo Von.
On X, Theo Von posted about his visit with the troops in Qatar, writing, “Most random Thursday of my life.”
Earlier in the week, Theo Von had dinner in Miami with Ivanka and Jared Kushner, the eldest daughter and son-in-law of Trump.
In a brief video of his comedy set in Qatar, Theo Von said to laughter, “I didn’t know I was going to be here either … They said, ‘Dude, do you want to go to the Middle East?’ And I’m like, ‘The Middle East of what? Like, what do you even mean? Like, Kentucky?’”
He also joked about an incident which happened on May 2, with video in a Nashville bar, The Twelve Thirty Club, allegedly showing the comedian getting into an altercation with another bar patron.
Of the incident, Theo Von quipped to the troops that his appearance was “court ordered,” adding, “I’m on TMZ right now, I was in a bar fight in Nashville.”
Watch a brief clip of his standup in Qatar here:
