Photo: Alamy
President Trump’s anticipated trip to the Middle East has kicked off with success in Saudi Arabia, as the commander-in-chief joined the Saudi crown prince to ink a partnership aimed at enriching both countries.
On Tuesday, the president’s arrival in the Middle Eastern country was filled with colorful pomp and circumstance as he was personally greeted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Air Force One, at the foot of purple-carpeted stairs.
The president also appeared to receive quite the royal escort from the airport to the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh, flanked by a cadre of white horses and riders holding Saudi and American flags.
Upon arrival at the Royal Court, the president saluted while Saudi officials played the Star-Spangled Banner in honor of the American leader’s visit to their country.
Inside the court, President Trump chatted with the crown prince and also appeared to greet SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who appeared to have arrived separately from the president, online video showed.
During his meeting with Salman, President Trump impactfully signed a partnership, “MbS,” with Saudi Arabia, inking several agreements related to mining, defense, and energy, Reuters reported.
The White House announced Tuesday morning that President Trump had secured a whopping $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia in the United States.
“The deals celebrated today are historic and transformative for both countries and represent a new golden era of partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” the press release said.
The White House listed multi-billion-dollar investments from Saudi companies like GE Vernova and healthcare company Shamekh IV Solutions, LLC, among those commitments.
In terms of defense, the press release noted that the $142 billion aspect of this broader agreement would provide Saudi Arabia with “state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms.”
The massive deal between Saudi Arabia and the United States comes just days after President Trump announced a historic trade deal with the United Kingdom.
