'Perfecto': Wealthy Gulf rulers bring A-game to Trump charm offensive
He's added a touch of gold to every White House portrait, fireplace mantel, doorway, carving and coaster in sight.
President Donald Trump has acknowledged a love affair with royal families, particularly the British one, that traces back to his mother, a poor immigrant from Scotland. In his book "The Art of the Deal," Trump recalls her sitting rapt for hours to watch Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.
Now, Trump is in the Middle East, where wealthy Arab monarchies are laying on extravagant, pageantry-filled receptions fit for an admirer of kings.
Trump's Gulf tour: a trip where personal diplomacy and family business intersect
As Trump flew into Riyadh on May 13, he was afforded a rare escort of Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de factor ruler, greeted him at the airport, where a lavender carpet − a color that celebrates Saudi identity and is reserved for high-profile dignitaries − was rolled out.
An honor guard lined up with golden swords.
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Trump was treated to tours of gilded palaces, cannon salutes and a state dinner. A fleet of Arabian horses with riders carrying flags escorted the Beast, his presidential limousine.
Qatar rolled out its own carpet − red this time − for Trump when he landed in Doha a day later, becoming the first American president to visit the energy-rich country since President George W. Bush in 2003. After stepping off Air Force One, Trump was greeted by another monarch, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Scores of U.S. and Qatari flags lined the streets. They were also placed on boats and attached to horses and camels.
"We appreciate those camels," Trump said.
In Qatar, Trump will take part in a second glittering state dinner and seek to strike commercial deals. Ahead of his arrival, the Qataris said they were exploring ways to gift him a luxury jetliner worth an estimated $400 million.
As Trump visits some of the world's richest countries, he appears to be having a good time.
"I really believe we like each other a lot," he said of the crown prince as they luxuriated on golden chairs under intricate chandeliers in the Saudi royal palace.
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Trump is chasing major trade deals in the Gulf. During a speech later in the day at a Riyadh investment conference, he described Crown Prince Mohammed as an "incredible man" and "great guy."
The feeling appeared to be mutual. When Trump pledged to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, the crown prince placed his hands over his heart and led a standing ovation.
"Oh, what I do for the crown prince," Trump said.
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Douglas Brinkley, an author and professor of history at Rice University, has noted that Trump is "always very impressed by monarchy." And Michael D'Antonio, who wrote "The Truth About Trump," a 2016 biography, has noted that throughout his life, Trump has expressed a desire to be close to, and possibly on an equal footing with, royal families − especially the British one, and especially its late monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
"This is more important than any piece of legislation he could get through Congress, greater than resolving problems at the border with Mexico," D'Antonio said in a 2019 interview. "I would think one of his dying thoughts will be of this. When he is about to leave this Earth, he will think, 'I was that person, standing with the queen.'"
(Trump met Queen Elizabeth II twice during his first presidency. In 2018, they watched a military parade and had tea at Windsor Castle. In 2019, during a state visit, she held a banquet for him at Buckingham Palace. A biography by the British author Craig Brown, published after her death, alleged the queen found Trump "very rude." Trump disputed that. "Totally false," he told a British newspaper. "She liked me and I liked her.")
Still, Christopher Henzel, who served as charge d'affaires for the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia from 2017-2019 said he didn't "really see" in Trump a preoccupation with Middle Eastern monarchies.
"All U.S. presidents recognize Saudi Arabia is a very important partner if you're going to get anything done in the Middle East," he said. "It's not about whether you like them, are fascinated by them, or don't like them. You have to deal with them. Saudi Arabia's got a huge GDP. It's a diplomatic power. It's got religious credentials."
Henzel added that state visits are "meant to be impressive" and that the Saudis are "famous for completely over-the-top lavish events." He said this is something other Gulf states − Trump is also visiting the United Arab Emirates on his regional jaunt − have sometimes tried to "copy and even outdo."
Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky': How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747
Among the pomp, Trump briefly joined a traditional male-only sword dance during his 2017 visit. "I was there for that. I could tell he was genuinely enjoying it," Henzel said.
Brett Bruen, who served as director of global engagement at the Obama White House, said the royal treatment Trump is receiving in the Gulf helps "paper over some of the more delicate areas in our relationship, from human rights to their deals with China."
One problem, Bruen said, is that Trump "seems so mesmerized by the glitz and glamor, he forgets to stay focused on our agenda and falls into fawning over the show they put on for him."
Henzel, the former diplomat, disagreed.
He said Trump understood the Saudi relationship, contrasting Trump with former President Joe Biden, who vowed while campaigning in 2019 to make a "pariah" out of the kingdom for its human rights record, in particular, for the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the crown prince authorized Khashoggi's killing. Within a year of winning the White House, Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia to push the kingdom to increase oil production amid soaring prices.
It didn't.
Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi-born founder of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said the leaders of Arab monarchies have a "mindset that favors showing off."
He said he believes Trump shares this habit.
"If you look at his homes, they are gilded," Al-Ahmed said, referring to the White House and Trump's opulent, 128-room Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, which features Florentine frescoes and Venetian arches.
Trump met with the Emir of Qatar in an incense-scented ceremonial room at Doha's Lusail Palace. When he entered the room, he paused, looked around and marveled at the architecture.
"The job you've done is second to none. You look at this, it's so beautiful," he told the Emir. "As a construction person, I'm seeing perfect marble. This is what they call perfecto."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump tours Mideast. Saudi Arabia, Qatar deploy royal A-game
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