President Donald Trump received a grand reception in Saudi Arabia during his first major foreign trip of his second term. As Air Force One approached Riyadh, it was escorted by six American-made F-15 fighter jets flown by Saudi pilots. Upon landing at the royal terminal of King Khalid International Airport, Trump stepped onto a lavender carpet – a colour recently adopted by the kingdom to symbolise desert wildflowers and hospitality – and was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman alongside hundreds of officials from the military, government and business sectors. Riders on white Arabian horses, bearing American and Saudi flags, flanked the president’s motorcade as he made his way to the royal terminal, where a traditional coffee ceremony awaited him.
This display of pomp starkly contrasted with the subdued welcome afforded to former president Joe Biden in 2022, when he fist-bumped the crown prince amid strained relations following Biden’s labelling of Saudi Arabia as a "pariah" state in the aftermath of the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump’s visit launched a four-day Gulf tour with stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, designed to promote economic cooperation and present a vision of regional transformation through commerce and development. Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, Trump declared Saudi Arabia “the strongest partner” of the United States in the region. He lauded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership, saying, “Riyadh is becoming not just a seat of government but a major business, cultural and high-tech capital of the entire world.”
At the forum, the White House claimed that $600 billion in agreements had been secured, though documentation revealed only around $283 billion in confirmed deals. Many of these had been, in fact, initiated before Trump returned to office. The headline announcement was a $142 billion defence package described as "the largest defence sales agreement in history," which would provide Saudi Arabia with cutting-edge American military equipment and services. The package also included training and support to enhance the kingdom’s armed forces.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia signed a record $142 billion defense deal as part of a $600 billion investment package sealed by Trump and MBS in Riyadh. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/S5Qrog8WJo
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 13, 2025
Prominent figures from major corporations, including Elon Musk of Tesla, representatives from Amazon, and executives from defence industry leaders Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, as well as Halliburton, attended the gathering. Also present were Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, the world’s foremost semiconductor company; Alex Karp, head of the software firm Palantir Technologies; and Patrick Soon-Shiong, the entrepreneur behind The Los Angeles Times.
Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, addressed the audience at the event. Saudi Arabia is slated to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034.
Among the economic highlights was a $20 billion commitment from Saudi tech company DataVolt to invest in artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure in the US. Nvidia agreed to sell more than 18,000 AI chips to the Saudi firm Humain. Blackwell chips will be deployed in Saudi data centres. American firms such as Jacobs and AECOM were credited with ongoing infrastructure projects in the kingdom, including King Salman International Airport, King Salman Park, and Qiddiya City – a vast entertainment complex.
MBS's reaction when Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria.pic.twitter.com/iXGsalOMx1
— Ibn Sufyan (@IbnSufyan313) May 13, 2025
Trump also used the occasion to signal a shift in US foreign policy. In a surprising announcement, he pledged to lift sanctions against Syria, stating that the war-ravaged country should be given "a chance at greatness." The move appeared to be made at the request of the crown prince, as Trump joked, "Oh, what I do for the crown prince." The sanctions, imposed during the Assad era, were originally designed to isolate Syria economically and diplomatically. While the United States has not formally recognised the new Syrian government under President al-Sharaa, Trump is expected to meet him informally in Riyadh – the highest-level engagement since Assad’s ousting.
In contrast, Trump adopted a hardline stance on Iran, labelling it “the biggest and most destructive force” in the Middle East. He warned that Tehran would never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons but also offered a “much better path” if it were to engage constructively. This balancing act was aimed at reassuring regional allies while also leaving the door open for future negotiations.
Apart from these geopolitical manoeuvres, the Trump Organisation was quietly advancing its own business interests in the Gulf. In Saudi Arabia, the company signed branding deals for a Trump Tower in Riyadh and a $530 million residential development in Jeddah. These projects, announced shortly after Trump’s re-election, will earn the Trump family substantial licensing fees without requiring capital investment.
In Qatar, the organisation is partnering with Dar Global and a state-backed developer to build the Trump International Golf Club & Villas near Doha. There has been some controversy since reports surfaced that the Trump administration is set to receive a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family. The aircraft, intended for use as Air Force One, will later be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation – a gift raising questions about propriety and influence.
In the UAE, the Trump Organisation is pushing forward with a $1 billion, 80-storey Trump International Hotel and Tower in Dubai, which will feature the world’s highest outdoor swimming pool and luxury apartments priced up to $20 million.
Despite these deepening ties with Gulf nations, Trump’s trip notably excluded Israel. Although Israeli officials expressed interest in a presidential stop in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, Trump declined. He later hinted that a visit might happen in future but only if there were a tangible diplomatic breakthrough to showcase. His decision reflects the waning influence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, despite his years of close alignment with Trump. Recent US moves – including a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis and resumed talks with Iran – have unsettled Israeli officials. Moreover, Trump no longer appears to condition a Saudi civil nuclear programme on normalisation with Israel.
When Trump did raise the issue of the Abraham Accords, which saw the UAE and Bahrain normalise relations with Israel in 2020, his plea for Saudi Arabia to join was met with silence. Domestic opposition in the kingdom remains high, and Saudi officials have reiterated that recognition of Israel would require the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The visit saw Trump praising Mohammed bin Salman in unusually personal terms: "He’s your greatest representative, greatest representative. And if I didn’t like him, I’d get out of here so fast. You know that, don’t you? He knows me well. I do – I like him a lot. I like him too much. That’s why we give so much, you know? Too much. I like you too much."
