U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off a high-profile tour of Gulf states on Tuesday, securing key economic commitments from Saudi Arabia, including a significant $142 billion U.S. defence deal. The agreement is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader commitment to invest $600 billion in the U.S., a move aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and boosting American job creation.
Trump, who praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a close friend, emphasized the importance of these investments in creating U.S. jobs. Accompanied by top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, Trump’s visit also features a delegation of influential business leaders, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
On his tour, Trump will visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with Qatar’s royal family expected to present a luxury Boeing 747-8 to be used as Air Force One. This gesture has sparked some controversy, particularly within Trump’s own party, with Senator Rand Paul criticizing the optics of the gift.
Despite the attention on the luxury jet, the core of Trump’s visit is centered on securing investment deals. Trump’s team is also looking to expand partnerships in sectors like artificial intelligence and cloud computing, with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund announcing a deal with Nvidia to develop AI technology.
The trip has largely sidestepped discussions of Middle East geopolitics, with no formal agenda for addressing Saudi-Israeli normalization, a key goal of Trump’s first term. The president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed hope for future progress on the Abraham Accords, the set of agreements Trump brokered in his first term, which saw Arab nations like the U.A.E., Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco recognize Israel.
This marks Trump’s first major policy-driven international trip of his second term, focusing more on economic collaboration than geopolitical issues.
Source: Swifteradio.com
