President Donald Trump was awarded the highest possible civilian honor in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, illustrating just how respected he is by Middle Eastern leaders as the 47th president moves closer to capping off a stunning international trip.
The president was bestowed with the Order of Zayed during a meeting and ceremony at the presidential palace, Qasr Al Watan, in Abu Dhabi. The honor is the highest one a civilian can receive in the UAE.
President Trump received this honor from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the current president of the UAE.
“In recognition of President Donald Trump’s exceptional efforts to strengthen the longstanding ties of friendship and strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, I am honored to announce that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan bestows the Order of Zayed upon President Trump,” said an announcer during the special ceremony.
The president was presented with a commemorative award, an impressively large gold necklace.
It was a meaningful moment on the heels of the president’s visit to Qatar, where he secured a $1.2 trillion economic commitment, preceded by a historic $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia just one day before.
In Abu Dhabi, President Trump sat beside President Al Nahyan in the luxurious Qasr Al Watan, where he was welcomed with warmth and diplomacy.
“I am confident that this visit will have a profound and positive impact on the future of our relations,” the UAE president stated.
“I’d like to thank you, your highness…you and I have been friends for a long time, we’ve been good friends,” Trump said, praising him as a “great man, a man of vision.”
He pledged that “our countries will work together” and highlighted how successful America is rapidly becoming under his leadership, describing the current state as “hot.”
“I’m glad we arrived…you’re an amazing country, you’re a rich country,” Trump said.
He emphasized the “special relationship” between America and the UAE and said he was confident that the UAE president would “never leave my side.”
“Our country’s back with you and our country’s back in a lot of ways,” he said.
