President Trump made his first stop on his Middle East swing in Saudi Arabia Tuesday, where he received a warm welcome from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and top U.S. and Saudi business leaders.
Trump secured hundreds of billions in investments from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and took steps to reframe relations with the Middle East, including taking a softer tone – while still offering a stern tone – in Iran following the regime change.
Here are five takeaways from the president’s day in Saudi Arabia.
Crown prince throws elaborate welcoming ceremony
Trump walked off of Air Force One to a lavender carpet rolled out at King Khalid International Airport and entered the royal terminal with the crown prince.
While Air Force One was approaching Saudi Arabia, about a half hour from landing, Saudi F-15 fighter jets appeared on both sides of Air Force One and escorted the plane at close proximity to landing, according to reporters traveling with the president.
The crown prince later greeted Trump again when he arrived at the Royal Court, where another lavender carpet was rolled out. Trump’s motorcade was escorted by riders on Arabian horses and horns were playing as he got out of his car.
The Star Spangled Banner played and then the Saudi anthem played before Trump and the crown prince went inside for the coffee ceremony with the hundreds of other attendees.
When Trump arrived at the state dinner at Diriyah At-Turaif, a world heritage site, a row of men with Arabian horses lined the road and others held alternating U.S. and Saudi flags.
Trump and the crown prince looked over the site, which was illuminated with golden yellow light and Trump admired a model of Diriyah while inside.
“Amazing job,” Trump said.
Musk joins Trump
Musk was at the Royal Court for a coffee ceremony, followed by a lunch as well as the state dinner at Diriyah alongside top Trump officials.
Trump introduced Musk to the crown prince, patting his ally on the back while the three men chatted for a few minutes. It’s unclear if Musk will join Trump on other stops on his trip, when the president travels to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates starting Wednesday.
Musk has been at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has been a constant presence by Trump’s side in the early months of his second term, joining him on Air Force One and in Cabinet meetings. His special government status is set to end May 30, and he has faced pressure from Tesla board members to return to the helm of his company.
More than 30 major business and technology leaders also joined the lunch, underscoring the focus on investment and financial deals during the trip.
Other top business leaders at the Royal Court included FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
The gathering was a sign of both Trump’s focus on securing business deals and investments in the U.S., and of Saudi Arabia’s vast wealth and influence.
Softer tone on Iran
Trump used a major foreign policy speech in Riyadh to offer an “olive branch” to Iran, a longtime U.S. adversary, amid discussions about Tehran’s nuclear program.
“I want to make a deal with Iran. If I can make a deal with Iran I’ll be very happy,” Trump said at a U.S.-Saudi investment forum. “We’re going to make your region and the world a safer place. But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive, maximum pressure.”
Officials from Iran and the U.S. have been engaged in talks in recent weeks around Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump during his first term withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which had offered sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.
Trump used his remarks on Tuesday to offer an optimistic outlook about the future of the Middle East. He announced that he would be open to easing sanctions on Syria at the urging of allies, saying, “we want to give them a fresh start” following the fall of the Assad regime and years of civil war.
Trump also agreed to say hello to the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa while in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to a White House official, signaling an openness to the new government.
Investments forum outcome
Trump secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S., which the crown prince first announced days after the inauguration. The deal struck on Tuesday includes a $142 billion defense and security deal that equips Saudi Arabia with state of the art war equipment provided by dozens of U.S. firms.
“Are we doing a good job so far for America? They’re only putting in a trillion dollars,” Trump said to reporters on the trip.
As part of the deal, Saudi Arabian DataVolt is moving forward with plans to invest $20 billion in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the U.S. and top companies like Google, Oracle, Salesforce and Uber, among others are investing $80 billion in technologies in both countries.
Also included in the deal are infrastructure projects American companies Hill International, Jacobs, Parsons, and AECOM are taking on in Saudi Arabia, including at King Salman International Airport to total $2 billion in U.S. service exports.
And, other exports will include GE Vernova’s gas turbines and energy solutions, worth $14.2 billion, and Boeing 737-8 passenger aircraft for AviLease, worth $4.8 billion, according to the White House. Additionally, health care company Shamekh IV Solutions, LLC will invest $5.8 billion, including through a plant in Michigan to launch a high-capacity IV fluid facility.
Other sector-specific funds will be created through the investment partnership, including a $5 billion energy investment fund, $5 billion New Era Aerospace and Defense Technology Fund and $4 billion Enfield Sports Global Sports Fund.
Trump-crown prince flaunt friendliness despite controversy
Trump kicked off his speech at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum on Tuesday by praising the crown prince and the country of Saudi Arabia for their hospitality and friendship.
“He’s an incredible man, known him a long time now. There’s nobody like him,” Trump said of the crown prince.
“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. Great guy,” Trump added, while the crown prince smiled and clapped in response to much of his remarks.
He also committed to keeping the U.S. partnership with Saudi Arabia strong, telling the crowd to applause, “we don’t go in and out like other people.”
Ahead of their bilat at the Royal Court, the president called the crown prince a friend and said they have developed a good relationship, joking that $600 billion investment could be a trillion.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said.
Trump’s first call to a foreign leader after his swearing-in was to the crown prince, who also has a personal relationship with Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
But the crown prince has faced major controversy for his human rights record. U.S. lawmakers have been particularly outspoken about the case of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and a columnist for The Washington Post who was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Trump during his first term largely defended the crown prince amid scrutiny over Khashoggi’s death. The CIA has assessed that the crown prince ordered the killing of Khashoggi.
