Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Tuesday rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, greeting the visiting foreign dignitary in a show of pomp and circumstance rivaling the president’s spring visit to the Arab country – and the flashy ceremony appears to have paid off for the United States.
The crown prince’s arrival was fronted with a riveting display of horses mounted by the U.S. Army Honor Guard, and a flyover by U.S. fighter jets. The president greeted Salman on a red carpet, where the two men shook hands.
Later, President Trump was seen giving the crown prince a tour of his newly installed “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House, which includes a portrait of every American president in history – with the exception of Joe Biden, whose portrait has been replaced with a picture of an “autopen.”
The president’s meeting with Salman comes months after he sealed a multi-billion-dollar investment deal with Saudi Arabia during his trip to the Middle East earlier this year.
“He’s amazing,” President Trump told the press of the crown prince on Tuesday, during a bilateral press conference.
The president also discussed the $600 billion investment Saudi Arabia has pledged to the U.S. “That means investments in plants, companies, money on Wall Street, and what it really means to everybody that really counts is jobs,” the president said.
President Trump also appeared to receive a verbal confirmation from the crown prince that the Saudis’ $600 billion investment would “definitely” be expanded $1 trillion.
“Definitely,” said Salman. “…[The U.S. is] the most hottest country on the planet.”
It seems likely that Salman, who appears to have a very friendly relationship with President Trump, will indeed make good on his suggestion, ensuring even more money pours into the domestic United States.
“When you invest a trillion dollars, that’s national security for us, too, because it creates jobs, it creates a lot of things,” President Trump remarked. “…That’s a real ally that will do that. It creates a lot of power for the United States.”