Trump's Saudi Arabia visit: $600 billion in investments & historic arms deal announced
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in investments across defence and artificial intelligence on Tuesday, delivering a grand welcome for U.S. President Donald Trump on his first foreign visit since beginning his second term.
Fighter jets escorted Air Force One into Saudi airspace, with a full ceremonial welcome awaiting Trump, including guards of honour and flag-bearing cavalry leading his motorcade to the royal palace. Inside the opulent halls, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a sweeping $600 billion commitment to U.S. ventures.
“We have the biggest business leaders in the world here today, and they’re going to walk away with a lot of cheques,” Trump told the crown prince, quipping that the deal "should be $1 trillion."
The White House revealed that nearly $142 billion of the total will go toward new weapons purchases, described as the largest such arms deal to date. In the tech sector, Saudi firm DataVolt committed $20 billion toward AI infrastructure in the U.S., while American tech giants, including Google, pledged reciprocal investments in the kingdom.
In a rare formal appearance, billionaire Elon Musk, a close advisor to Trump, was seen joining the Saudi delegation, highlighting the commercial weight of the visit.
Trump will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates later this week, underscoring his preference for Gulf nations over traditional Western allies. The 78-year-old leader’s first foreign trip during his previous term also began in Riyadh, famously marked by a glowing orb photo and sword dance.
Unlike President Joe Biden, who initially kept distance from the Saudi crown prince over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump warmly recalled his first meeting with the now 39-year-old ruler. “I was so impressed with this young guy—very wise beyond his years,” he said.
Saudi Arabia, eager to modernise its image and economy, has invested heavily in sectors beyond oil, including AI, sports, and entertainment. It has also emerged as a key diplomatic player, hosting sensitive talks on issues ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war to Middle East conflicts.
Meanwhile, Qatar and the UAE have taken leading roles in global diplomacy, with Qatar acting as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas crisis. Trump spoke Tuesday with Edan Alexander, a U.S. citizen recently released from Gaza following quiet U.S. negotiations with Hamas.
On the sidelines of the visit, reports emerged that Qatar had offered Trump a luxury Boeing aircraft, intended to serve as a custom “Air Force One” post-presidency. Critics have slammed the gift as blatant corruption, while Trump dismissed the claims, saying the deal was “very public and transparent.”