Podcast Summary: "Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels"

Episode: HOW QATAR BOUGHT AMERICA

Date: January 4, 2026
Host: Jillian Michaels
Guest: Freddie Block (Investigative Journalist, The Free Press)

Overview:

In this eye-opening episode, Jillian Michaels sits down with investigative journalist Freddie Block to unravel how Qatar, a tiny nation with outsized wealth and ambition, has spent decades entrenching itself into American institutions. Block and Michaels delve deep into Qatar’s multi-billion dollar influence campaigns in politics, education, media, and beyond, questioning the efficacy and transparency of U.S. laws meant to track and curb foreign influence. The conversation is direct and provocative, addressing the complexity, scale, and ramifications of these efforts—and the surprising lack of public discussion about them.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Qatar’s Playbook: The Tools of Influence

• Soft Power & "Black Box" Spending

  • Qatar employs think tank funding, university endowments, and media partnerships to shape perceptions and influence policy, much of which is not tracked by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
  • “It’s a form of soft power, but influencing think tanks... is that actually a type of lobbying? Is that an influence campaign?” — Freddie Block [08:56]
  • $9 million tracked to U.S. think tanks in 5 years; real amount likely higher due to untraceable donations.

• Laws & Loopholes: The Limits of FARA

  • FARA, intended to expose foreign influence, only tracks above-board activity. Contributions to think tanks, universities, and NGOs often fall outside its scope.
  • “It hasn’t been updated in a really long time… enforcement is pretty weak.” — Freddie Block [05:22]

2. Money Trail: Who Spends What?

• Staggering Sums by the Gulf States

  • Qatar: $23.4 billion on U.S. lobbying, compared to $1.8 billion by Israel (all-time totals).
  • UAE: $31 billion; Saudi Arabia: $110 billion (all-time lobbying) [07:47]
  • “It’s pretty astounding.” — Freddie Block [07:48]

• Education’s Price: University Endowments

  • Qatar is the largest foreign contributor to U.S. universities since 1986 ($6.3 billion, surpassing China’s $5.6 billion) [25:28].
  • Many funds support U.S. satellite campuses in Doha (e.g., Northwestern, Georgetown) [25:28].

3. Influence in Government & Politics

• Targeting Administrations

  • Qatar seeks to build connections “on both sides of the aisle,” tailoring its approach to both Republican and Democratic power-brokers [12:15].
  • Trump inner circle: Extensive Qatari relationships—Donald Trump Jr. (Doha trips, golf courses), Susie Wiles (former Mercury Public Affairs, Qatar’s lobby), and special envoy Steve Wyckoff (whose son negotiates personal deals while in Doha) [12:15–14:30].
  • “Critics could say it’s like America First policy, but on a Qatari jet.” — Block [14:30]

• Controversial Lobbying Successes

  • Qatar lobbyists played a key role in killing HR 2712, a bill to sanction Hamas supporters, to protect Qatari interests and American aerospace jobs [69:56].

• State-level Focus: The South Carolina Case Study

  • Heavy Qatari investment aligns with attention to lawmakers like Lindsey Graham, Joe Wilson; connections to local industry (Barzan Aeronautical, sister-city programs) [62:39].
  • “You start to see in FARA records...millions of dollars.” — Block [63:11]

4. Shaping K–12 and University Curriculum

• Qatar Foundation International in U.S. Schools

  • Funding brings Qatari-developed materials and cultural programming to U.S. public schools.
  • Block’s investigation began when a NYC classroom displayed a Middle East map omitting Israel—funded by Qatar Foundation International [21:47].
  • “That was inaccurate… Israel’s a country, it exists.” — Block [21:47]

• Academic Compromise: Speech & Values

  • U.S. university campuses in Doha accept restrictions on speech, debate, and gender issues, conflicting with their purported missions. Example: Georgetown’s Doha campus canceled a debate (“Is God a Woman?”) due to blasphemy laws [34:08].
  • Agreements at Northwestern’s Doha campus restricted criticism of Qatar even for the U.S. home campus [34:08].

5. Media, Journalism & Narrative Control

• Al Jazeera’s Pervasive Reach

  • Qatar’s state media, Al Jazeera, remains influential in shaping youth opinions on the Middle East through its English-language reporting and via platforms like Instagram and TikTok [28:54].
  • “Most of the people I went to college with…when they post about Gaza, it’s an Al Jazeera article.” — Block [28:54]

• Targeted Media Investments

  • $50 million funneled to Newsmax reportedly softened negative coverage ahead of the 2022 World Cup and labor controversies [39:33].
  • Washington Post columns by slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi were reportedly shaped with help from a Qatar Foundation-linked staffer [39:33–41:07].

• Journalist Cultivation & Influencer “Hospitality”

  • Qatar invites journalists, influencers, and political insiders (of both parties) on all-expenses-paid trips to Doha for events and conferences; organizers include key lobbyists [46:02].
  • “Sometimes it was direct payments for speaking at events… luxury trips.” — Block [46:02]

6. Think Tanks & The Policy Feedback Loop

• Qatari Money, American Policy
  • Think tanks in the U.S.—including the highly influential Brookings Institution—regularly receive millions in funding from Qatar and other Gulf states, directly impacting the knowledge consumed by policymakers and the public [09:23].
  • “They do craft policy…they are influencing our policy.” — Block [58:27]

7. National Security & the “Revolving Door”

• Officials (& Generals) on the Qatar Payroll

  • Former ambassadors and high-ranking military officials (e.g. Richard Olson, Timmy Davis, General John Allen) moved to jobs or contracts funded by Qatar soon after public service [52:38, 54:33].
  • “The State Department rules are vague enough that this seems kind of icky… but it’s not necessarily not allowed.” — Block [54:33]

• Critical Quote:

  • “No foreign country should have access to any information that a four-star general may have.” — Jillian Michaels [57:11]

8. Why So Little Public Outcry?

• Selective Scrutiny
  • Michaels repeatedly critiques the U.S. public’s and media’s near-singular focus on Israel’s influence while ignoring the immense and often more opaque Qatari and Gulf intervention [10:30, 26:22, 67:31].
  • “If you’re going to cry foul, let’s unilaterally cry foul.” — Jillian Michaels [10:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Qatar’s outsized spending:
  “For Qatar, it’s $23.4 billion…compared to Israel’s $1.8 billion…It’s pretty astounding.” — Freddie Block [07:48]

• On FARA’s limitations:
  “FARA only goes so far…you could skirt the law via think tanks or education without registering.” — Freddie Block [05:22]

• On social media’s warped discourse:
  “You are far more likely to see pro-Palestinian content on TikTok than you are pro-Israeli…these platforms have the power to alter algorithms.” — Freddie Block [28:54]

• On disclosure double standards:
  “If I take money to do an ad or a post…#paidad…You’re in serious trouble if you don’t disclose. But nobody has to disclose this.” — Jillian Michaels [67:31]

• On U.S. campus free speech in Qatar:
  “The debate was canceled because blasphemy is illegal in Qatar…so that is extremely troubling.” — Freddie Block [34:08]

• On why the U.S. doesn’t require Al Jazeera to register as foreign agent:
  “It’s easy to kill efforts if you have the right people and access…you can lobby against policies you don’t like for your country.” — Freddie Block [49:58]

• On public ignorance:
  “I don’t think the average bear knows any of this and the ways in which their perception of the world is being manipulated.” — Jillian Michaels [59:41]

Important Timestamps

• Opening Context & Introduction: [00:02]
• What is FARA? [03:59]
• Soft Power Loopholes & Think Tanks: [08:13]
• The Money Breakdown (Qatar, Israel, Gulf States): [07:47–08:13]
• Media Influence—Al Jazeera, Newsmax, Social Media: [28:54–31:09, 39:30–43:09]
• K–12 and University Funding: [21:47, 25:28]
• High-profile Political Influence & Trump Ties: [12:15–15:24]
• Case Study: South Carolina Lawmakers: [62:23–67:31]
• Revolving Door: Ambassadors & Generals: [52:23–57:11]
• Think Tanks as Policy Drivers: [58:27]
• Legislative Response & Policy Solutions: [71:41]

Policy Solutions & Individual Safeguards

• Policy Changes Needed

  • Modernize FARA and Section 117 of the Higher Education Act to enhance disclosure, close exemptions, and make reporting more frequent and more detailed [71:41].
  • “Disclosure acts are helpful, but haven’t been updated in a really long time.” — Block [73:53]
  • Lower reporting thresholds for university gifts (as started by Trump-era reforms).

• What Can Individuals Do?

  • Demand transparency from media and educational institutions about funding sources.
  • Be skeptical; seek out diverse information sources; question consensus narratives.
  • Track and read reporting on foreign influence—recommendation to follow coverage at The Free Press (thefp.com).

Conclusion

Jillian Michaels and Freddie Block illuminate the breadth and complexity of Qatari influence in the U.S.—from quiet inroads in education to aggressive lobbying and media partnerships that have shaped public discourse and policy. The episode calls for increased awareness, transparency, and equal scrutiny of all foreign actors, not just those already in the American spotlight. It ends with an urgent appeal: update the laws, demand disclosure, and stay vigilant, because unchecked influence does not come without consequences.

Resources:

• Read Freddie Block’s reporting: thefp.com
• For more on Omid Malik: Search Free Press articles by Gabe Kaminsky