Theo Von riffs on drugs, disabilities and homosexuality before Trump speaks at US base in Qatar

AL-UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AP) — When President Donald Trump addressed U.S. and Qatari troops at a military base in Qatar on Thursday, he assured the rank and file that “we don’t care if you’re politically correct.”

Anyone needing proof of that could have watched comedian Theo Von’s routine just a little earlier. Wearing a black T-shirt and backward baseball cap, the podcast host regaled the uniformed troops with jokes about drugs, developmental disabilities, homosexuality and their Qatari hosts.

He talked about snorting cocaine off a baby’s back but said it was “a mixed baby” so the white powder was visible on the baby's skin.

Von acted out various disabilities, including Down syndrome, and he insulted the U.S. Navy as “gay.” He also had a punchline about terrorism attacks, asking, “Where do you think the next 9/11 should happen?”

He joked about the lack of crime in Qatar, where he said it would be impossible to identify a perpetrator because everyone is named Mohammed and dresses in the same white robes. They were like a “Ku Klux Sandsman," Von said.

He later pointed to the Qatari troops in the audience and said “they don’t like me.”

The jokes drew laughter and some groans from the service members at the base, home to the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command.

There was no acknowledgment from Qatar about the comedy routine and its topics. U.S. and Qatari service members and a small number of journalists following Trump heard the set, which was also available to American television networks.

The wealthy Gulf nations that Trump has visited have increasingly welcomed a burgeoning standup scene at home and acts from abroad as they promote themselves as global entertainment destinations, and there are fewer red lines than one might expect in the socially conservative region. When Russell Peters performed in Saudi Arabia and Dave Chappelle in Abu Dhabi last year, both told a number of sexually explicit jokes and playfully mocked aspects of local culture, like the heavy reliance on foreign workers.

The only no-go zones appear to be criticism of Islam or the countries’ autocratic rulers.

“You can’t talk about the royals, and you can’t talk about religion,” comedian Tom Segura said on his podcast last year, describing restrictions imposed on a comedy tour he made to the United Arab Emirates.

Von connected with Trump during last year’s presidential campaign, hosting the Republican candidate for an extended conversation that helped him reach young male voters who were important to his victory.

Trump wasn’t present for Von’s routine at the al-Udeid Air Base, which houses about 8,000 troops. When Trump took the stage in a hangar on the Qatari side of the installation, he praised Von and talked about how his son Barron encouraged him to sit down with the comedian.

“Dad, you’ve got to do an interview with a guy named Theo Von,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Who the hell is Theo Von?’”

“We had a good time,” he added.

This isn’t the first time a warm-up act has stirred controversy for Trump. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during a Madison Square Garden rally near the end of the campaign.

Trump delivered his own free-wheeling remarks during Thursday's event, telling the troops that “I have nothing else to do, so let’s have a little fun.”

He talked about plans for an upcoming military parade in Washington, falsely said that he won three presidential elections, joked about people who want him to run for another term and said France would be “speaking German” if it wasn’t for American help during World War II.

Trump talked about his administration’s efforts to thin the military’s top ranks, saying “we let a lot of four-stars go.”

There’s long been friction between Trump and some top generals, and he’s been more emboldened to remake the command structure.

He described people who doubted his military instincts as “freaking losers,” talking up the campaign against the Islamic State group in his first term.

Trump ended his speech in his customary way, dancing to his campaign anthem of “YMCA.”

Von’s “This Past Weekend” is the fifth-most-popular podcast in the U.S. among weekly podcast listeners age 13 or older, according to recent rankings from Edison Podcast Metrics. The mullet-sporting 45-year-old is one of the burgeoning voices of the so-called manosphere, a rising online community of hyper-masculine influencers and comedians who rebuff cancel culture and offer crudeness in its place. Von has interviewed people across the political spectrum and in industries from artificial intelligence to entertainment and sports.

President Donald Trump smiles backdropped by an MQ-9 Reaper drone before addressing military personnel at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - Theo Von, left speaks with Jake Paul in Emancipation Hall at the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Jasper Colt/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Theo Von arrives at "Opry 100: A Live Celebration", March 19, 2025, at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Qatar Air Force F-15 jets perform a flyover as Air Force One is ready to depart from Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump gestures on stage at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Two more Russian athletes were approved by the International Olympic Committee to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month with neutral status.

The total is now five athletes with Russian passports and one from Belarus confirmed by the IOC as eligible for the Olympics that open Feb. 6. They will not have their national identity of team colors, flag or anthem and cannot take part in the opening ceremony athlete parades.

Short-track speed skaters Ivan Posashkov and Alena Krylova joined the list updated by the IOC late Monday.

The 21-year-old Posashkov competes in the men’s 1,000-meter event and the 23-year-old Krylova in the women’s 500 meters.

Neutral status can be given to athletes in individual events judged to have not actively supported their countries' full military invasion of Ukraine, and who are not contracted to the military or state security agencies.

Vetting is done first by a winter sports governing body and then verified by a panel of three IOC members, which includes former NBA star Pau Gasol.

The IOC previously approved Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian — who is a strong medal contender — and Petr Gumennik, plus Nikita Filippov in ski mountaineering. Belarusian figure skater Viktoriia Safonova also passed checks.

More Russian and Belarusian athletes, including in Alpine and cross-country skiing, are likely to be added this month.

Russian athletes have returned to international winter sports competitions in recent weeks for the first time since the war on Ukraine intensified in February 2022, four days after the last Winter Games closed in Beijing.

Russia is still excluded from team sports like ice hockey at the Olympics, as it was at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)