Trump former aide flees Middle East in private jet as stranded Americans fume
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- Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz left Qatar on a privately chartered jet after US–‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran disrupted regional travel.
- Thousands of Americans remain stranded across the Middle East as commercial flights halt and evacuations lag.
Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz departed Qatar on a privately chartered jet after US–‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran triggered regional air travel disruptions, leaving thousands of Americans struggling to exit the Middle East.
Bruesewitz, 28, said he spent 72 hours attempting to leave Doha as tensions escalated and missiles crossed regional airspace.
“The past 72 hours have been utterly surreal, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” he wrote on X.
Private flight to Greece
Bruesewitz ultimately secured a charter flight to Athens, which he said he personally funded. He credited assistance from officials in the US, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia in arranging the departure.
He was traveling with Qatar lobbyist and former Bill Clinton adviser Jay Footlik and Sarah Gaither, a Dallas-based TikTok personality known online as a dog walker.
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“The Iranian missiles were flying directly over my head,” Bruesewitz said. He also praised Gulf states for cooperating during the crisis, describing Qatar and Saudi Arabia as “incredible allies.”
Bruesewitz is the founder of consulting firm X Strategies and is widely credited with helping shape Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign outreach strategy, which emphasized long-form podcast appearances aimed at younger male voters.
Americans stuck across the region
His successful departure contrasts sharply with the situation facing thousands of Americans still stranded across the Middle East.
The US has urged its citizens to leave much of the region because of “serious safety risks,” but has yet to organize large-scale evacuations. Many commercial flights were canceled after US and ‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran began Saturday.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting countries aligned with Washington, disrupting travel hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.
Embassies under pressure
The deteriorating security situation has also forced several diplomatic missions to shut down.
US embassies in Kuwait, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia closed Tuesday as the conflict intensified. An internal State Department alert reviewed by The Washington Post reported multiple drone strikes near the US embassy in Riyadh, damaging part of the building and filling areas with smoke. A separate attack targeted the US consulate in Dubai, where a small fire was reported.
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US ambassador to ‘Israel’ Mike Huckabee said Americans there face “very limited options” as Ben Gurion Airport remains closed. He advised some travelers to consider crossing into Egypt to seek flights out, while warning that routes through Jordan are unreliable.
The US embassy in Jerusalem said Monday it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.”
Government response questioned
At the White House, President Donald Trump said Americans were left stranded “because it happened all very quickly.”
A Trump administration official told The Washington Post that Washington is now working to secure a mix of military and charter aircraft for citizens seeking to leave.
European governments have moved faster to assist their nationals. France has prepared flights to evacuate citizens, while the United Kingdom urged Britons to register their presence so authorities can coordinate support.
Estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of US citizens live across the Middle East. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said about 1,600 Americans have already requested assistance to leave the region.
