WASHINGTON (AP) — The fist bump seems so long ago.
Three years after Joe Biden’s cursory greeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Donald Trump luxuriated in an extravagant royal welcome as he arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Concerns about human rights and fossil fuels in the oil-rich autocracy were nowhere on the agenda. Instead the day was all about cutting deals and celebrating a personal relationship that has endured through scandal and political turmoil.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said as they sat on golden chairs under elaborate chandeliers in the royal palace. During a speech later in the day, the president described Prince Mohammed as an “incredible man” and “my friend.”
The feeling was clearly mutual. The crown prince addressed his guest as “my dear President Trump,” and the Saudis played his campaign anthems — “God Bless the U.S.A.” and “ YMCA ” — during his appearance at an investment forum.
For the U.S. Republican president, the visit was a return to the international stage after his comeback victory in last year’s election. Although he recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, Saudi Arabia was originally intended to be his initial overseas destination, just like in his first term. It served as a gilded debut for a foreign policy focused on securing cash infusions for American businesses.
Trump pumped his fist as he stepped out of Air Force One, then descended the stairs to shake hands with Prince Mohammed, who greeted his guest on the tarmac in a rare display of respect.
Trump pumped his fist as he stepped out of Air Force One, then descended the stairs to shake hands with Prince Mohammed, who greeted his guest on the tarmac in a rare display of respect.
The guest list for an elaborate luncheon was stuffed with corporate executives, including Ruth Porat of Google, Stephen Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group, Jane Fraser of Citicorp, Alex Karp of Palantir and Jensen Huang of NVIDIA. Also attending was Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a top adviser to Trump.
As Air Force One approached Riyadh, Saudi pilots in six American-made F-15 fighter jets escorted the plane. After a traditional coffee ceremony inside the royal terminal at the airport, Trump’s limousine was flanked by riders on white Arabian horses carrying American and Saudi flags. A honor guard was lined up with golden swords.
(Missing from the visit was the orb, a glowing sphere a little bigger than a bowling ball that Trump memorably posed for photos with during his trip to Riyadh in his first term.)
Trump has downplayed traditional American alliances in Europe, and often expressed exasperation with the country’s trading and defense partners. But there was no such hesitation in Riyadh, and he said the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia “has been a bedrock of security and prosperity,”
Biden received little of the same pomp when he visited three years ago. He had previously criticized Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” but decided to travel to the kingdom anyway in an implicit acknowledgement that it was too influential of a global player to ignore.
The crown prince greeted the Democratic president at the palace, which is where the two leaders exchanged their fist bump. Their only other joint public appearance was all business, as they sat across from each other at a large conference table, flanked by top advisers.
Later that year, OPEC+ announced it would reduce oil production in a blow to Biden, whose political fortunes were being battered by inflation. The Democratic president acknowledged that it was “a disappointment, and it says that there are problems” in the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
But there was no such friction during Trump’s visit, a shift that was clearly appreciated by Trump’s hosts.
“We don’t want people to lecture us, as it has happened in the past – what’s wrong and what’s right,” said Mohammad A. Abunayyan, the founder and chairman of ACWA Power.
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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AP)—President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia, the first leg of his three-nation visit to the Middle East this week meant to tackle multiple crises and conflicts across the region. He was welcomed by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after Air Force One landed in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Trump and the crown prince are to hold talks on U.S. efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, end the war in Gaza, hold down oil prices and more. The prince is also expected to fete Trump with a formal dinner. American and Saudi flags lined the streets of the Saudi capital, along with a noticeable security presence of all American-made police cars.
Saudi crown prince’s airport greeting for Trump underscores the close relationship the de facto ruler of the kingdom wants to have with the American leader.
Typically, a provincial governor or another official will greet a foreign leader on arrival. King Salman once greeted President Barack Obama at the airport on a trip to the kingdom, but then lower-ranking officials did as the kingdom grew angry over his stance on the 2011 Arab Spring and the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
President Joe Biden also was greeted by a provincial governor on his 2022 trip to the kingdom, before having an awkward fist-bump with Prince Mohammed, who he derided as a “pariah” during his election campaign after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump gets a horse escort to the Saudi palace
Trump’s armored limo, known as The Beast, was flanked by Saudi horsemen carrying American and Saudi flags as it pulled into Al Yamamah Palace.
Before going in, the Saudi crown prince walked Trump over to observe an honor guard.
The two leaders then received officials from their delegations ahead of a lunch.
Fighter jet escort
The pomp began before Trump even landed. Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s provided an honorary escort for Air Force One as it approached the kingdom’s capital.
Trump and Prince Mohammed also took part in a lunch at the Royal Court, gathering with guests and aides in an ornate room with blue accents and massive crystal chandeliers.
As he greeted business titans with Trump by his side, Prince Mohammed was animated and smiling.
It was a stark contrast to his awkward fist bump with then-President Joe Biden, who looked to avoid being seen on camera shaking hands with the prince during a 2022 visit to the kingdom.
Biden had decided to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia as he looked to alleviate soaring prices at the pump for motorists at home and around the globe.
At the time, Prince Mohammed's reputation had been badly damaged by a U.S. intelligence determination that found he had ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
But that dark moment appeared to be distant memory for the prince as he rubbed elbows with high-profile business executives — including Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — in front of the cameras and with Trump by his side.
Later, the crown prince will fete Trump with a formal dinner. Trump is also slated to take part Tuesday in a U.S.-Saudi investment conference.
Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia comes as oil trades around $64 a barrel
Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia comes as the president can already point to one thing for American voters — oil prices are down.
It’s not Trump’s doing, though he’s repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia and the OPEC+ oil cartel over higher oil prices in the past. Those prices translate directly back into gasoline prices in the United States, which can become a major pain point for the U.S. public. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. is $3.13, according to AAA, down from $3.61 a year ago.
Right now, benchmark Brent crude trades around $64 a barrel. That’s higher than when the around $50 a barrel it traded on his first trip to the kingdom as president in 2017. However, it’s nowhere near the spikes seen after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Then, the average gallon of gas in the U.S. was $5.01 at its height.