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President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will travel to the Middle East for the first foreign trip of his second presidential term.
Trump did not provide the dates of his upcoming trip, but plans to visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar, The Hill reported.
“I have a very good relationship with the Middle East,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced in January that his nation intends to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years.
“The crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s intention to broaden its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, in the amount of $600 billion, and potentially beyond that,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The crown prince also reportedly spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in January.
According to the Associated Press, Trump first mentioned the possibility of visiting Saudi Arabia as his first international trip in comments at the time.
“The first foreign trip typically has been with the U.K. but … I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of our products,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office. “If Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another $450 billion or $500 — we’ll up it for all the inflation — I think I’d probably go.”
Former President Trump said on Monday that the trip “could be next month, maybe a little bit later.”
Trump’s first foreign trip as president in 2017 also began in the Middle East, with stops in Saudi Arabia and Israel, before continuing on to Italy for a meeting with the Pope and then to Belgium for a NATO summit.
Saudi Arabia has also been important recently as Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, led a delegation of U.S. officials to meet with Ukrainian officials in the Middle Eastern nation for peace talks.
The Trump administration has also worked with Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices to help working Americans.