Trump International Golf Club in Dubai still has its fountains, its skyline views, and racks of “Make America Great Again” hats. What it doesn’t have anymore, judging from conversations at the clubhouse bar on a recent evening, is many Trump fans.
Patrons sipping beers there told the Washington Post that President Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, along with his unpredictable handling of the conflict, had unsettled the region and soured their opinion of him — even as they kept coming back to play golf.
“On the business side, I thought he was going to do a lot,” said 23-year-old Bertie Jones, a British national. “But I’ve lost all trust in him.”
Publicly, leaders across the UAE and the wider Gulf have stayed diplomatic. UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan thanked Trump for his support at a recent G7 meeting in France, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week praised the UAE as one of America’s strongest partners during the war. But analysts say that public courtesy masks real frustration. Gulf governments had urged Washington against military action, fearing exactly the kind of regional instability that followed.
Privately, sentiment has shifted sharply. Businessman Omar Al Busaidy said he once believed Trump’s promise to be a “no war president,” but felt betrayed once fighting broke out and Iran responded with a barrage of missiles and drones against the UAE. Dubai billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor went so far as to publish a widely shared open letter criticizing Trump’s decision to pull the region into conflict.
“I’m not going to lie, I had high hopes – but we got played,” said Busaidy, Global Possibilities Consulting.
Busaidy said that Trump had indicated he understood UAE’s warnings about Iran, which he stated as “don’t poke the bear,” but he said the president seemed to ignore the message.
“We believed him,” Busaidy said.
Some said they still personally like Trump despite disapproving of the war and the rising food and fuel costs that came with it; one government official said he respects that Trump “loves his country.”
“In an hour, it could start again,” said Omar Ahli, a 49-year-old air traffic controller. “He is crazy, but we still like him.”
But even those who remained sympathetic to Trump acknowledged unease, describing a lingering nervousness from weeks of drone and missile activity, and uncertainty over whether a fragile new agreement between the U.S. and Iran will actually hold.
“We don’t know what was going through Trump’s mind when he started this war, but we did know the potential repercussions,” said Nasser Hassan Al Shaikh, a businessman, former UAE government official and economist, “and we know there was no knockout.”
Foreign residents working in Dubai’s business community were more blunt, saying Trump’s repeated assurances that the war would end soon, followed by continued fighting, had cost him credibility. Several said they now feel self-conscious frequenting his golf club at all, even as they keep showing up for the course itself.
“It feels a little questionable these days,” said Richard Lucking, who served in the British military and is organizing events in Dubai. “[But] the staff and the course are brilliant.”
Experts noted that the UAE’s reliance on U.S. security support, including missile defense systems, leaves Gulf leaders with few options despite personal frustration with Trump’s leadership.
“In all honesty, do we have any other choice?” Shaikh said. “The U.S. remains the leading global super power.”
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