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Trump starts a pompous trip to Saudi Arabia: 600 billion in sight!
US President Trump will start his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2025, focusing on economic agreements and investments.
Trump starts a pompous trip to Saudi Arabia: 600 billion in sight!
US President Donald Trump today chose Saudi Arabia as the first stop on his official foreign trip in his second term in office. This visit is of great importance because Saudi Arabia is not only a strategically important partner for the United States, but also a major oil producer, defense buyer and investor. Trump arrived at the airport in Riyadh, where he was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a lavish reception by Saudi fighter jets, reports tagesschau.de.
The reception continued in the Royal Palace, where a cavalry guard and numerous Saudi government and business representatives waited for Trump. The president was accompanied by a delegation of Cabinet members and prominent business people, including Elon Musk and executives from IBM and Alphabet. Together, Trump and bin Salman signed an economic deal that includes a number of agreements, including energy cooperation and the modernization of the Saudi armed forces.
Economic focus of the trip
The trip is heavily focused on economic themes, with Trump seeking strategic investments and collaborations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has pledged $600 billion in investments in the US over the next four years. In addition to cooperation in artificial intelligence and energy technologies, agreements in the defense sector are also being planned.
A converted Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet is to be handed over to Trump as a gift from Qatar. These gestures and the signing of agreements make it clear that economics and trade are at the heart of the discussions. However, political crises in the Gulf region, particularly the Gaza conflict and the nuclear threat from Iran, are also discussed, although they do not take up much space.
Political contexts and challenges
A central issue circulating in the background is the agreement with Hamas, which was reached without Israeli participation. Trump called it "monumental news" and hopes to put pressure on the Israeli government to reach a deal to end the war in Gaza. According to experts, his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deteriorated due to disagreements. There was no planned stop in Israel on this trip, which is seen as a sign of strained relations.
The situation is also underpinned by warnings from the Iranian chief of staff, who appealed for neighboring countries to maintain neutrality before possible aggression during Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, negotiations are underway between the US and Iran over the nuclear program, with Trump threatening military action if diplomatic efforts fail.