Photo: Alamy | Op-ed by Summer Lane
When President Donald Trump arrived this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he was personally greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and escorted to the Royal Court with a flourish of pomp and circumstance.
Saudis riding white Arabian horses flanked “The Beast” as it rolled up to the Royal Court for lunch with the crown prince, just before he delivered unifying remarks at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum. In true Trump fashion, he took the podium in Riyadh to the patriotic chorus of “God Bless the USA,” by Lee Greenwood, proudly trumpeting American pride and strength to Saudi leaders in the audience.
Here, Trump delivered a hefty dose of confidence and friendship, and the trip, ultimately, resulted in a whopping $600 billion overarching investment from Saudi Arabia, stemming from individual agreements on defense, energy, and mining.
But the winning didn’t stop there. After Saudi Arabia, President Trump’s trip overseas also resulted in a $1.2 trillion economic commitment in Qatar, netting deals for Boeing and GE Aerospace from Qatar Airways also worth over $243.5 billion.
“I think we’re the hottest country in the world right now,” Trump said at a meeting with the above aerospace companies. “Six months ago, they were laughing at the United States, but they don’t laugh anymore.”
Everywhere Trump traveled this week, his hosts rolled out the red carpet and did everything they could to ensure the American president was greeted with warmth, respect, and military fighter jet escorts.
It was a shocking departure from just a year ago, when the chief executive officer of the United States was falling down stairs and wandering aimlessly off stages. No more is America weak or laughed at.
This week pointedly illustrated how quickly Trump has reformulated the presidential apparatus, commanding the respect of the entire world with simple but effective diplomacy.
President Trump capped off his Middle East trip with a visit to the United Arab Emirates, stopping in Abu Dhabi at the presidential palace and visiting the Abrahamic Family House with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
While there, Trump was presented with the UAE’s highest possible civilian honor, the Order of Zayed, signifying yet again how much respect the Middle East country has for the 47th president.
His visit to the UAE also resulted in $200 billion of commercial deals between the U.S. and the Arab country, building on the UAE’s already massive commitment of $1.4 trillion. This brings the UAE’s total investment with the United States up to more than $2 trillion.
It is clear that President Trump’s was not only a success – it was a signal to the world that the United States is back and better than ever. Importantly, Trump’s negotiations with these Middle Eastern countries also starkly differ from the warmongering neocons of past administrations, who stirred up war and destruction in those regions for decades.
This is clear in his decision to terminate sanctions for Syria to give them a “chance at greatness,” as he said in his speech in Saudi Arabia, and his willingness to give Yemen and Iran the time to do the right thing and stop terrorism and violence.
“The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called ‘nation builders,’ neocons, or liberal non-profits, like those who spent trillions and trillions of dollars to develop Baghdad and so many other cities,” he said.
He praised the people of the region for their ability to innovate and build without the intervention of pompous Western neighbors. Rather, Trump’s trip elevated the idea of America and the Middle East working together for mutually beneficial goals.
Importantly, Trump’s trip overseas was also a strategic move. In netting partnerships in the Middle East with massive, forward-thinking countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, Trump has beaten megalithic powers like China to the punch when it comes to establishing a foothold in that region.
This is important not just economically but also from the standpoint of national security. Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk even commented on this phenomenon on Wednesday, writing, “Understand what is really happening right now. President Trump is recalibrating the Middle East to look West. Like them or not like them, it’s in America’s interest that these countries invest in and partner with America, not China.”
President Trump is not just “recalibrating” the Middle East. He’s recalibrating the entire world and working hard and fast to give Americans a working and successful system to carry forth in the coming generations.
He’s giving us the blueprint for winning around the world, and it’s a wonderful sight.
