Trump fawns over Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Middle East tour
President Donald Trump showered Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with compliments after receiving a lavish welcome to start his four-day Middle East tour.
Trump's Air Force One was escorted by Saudi Air Force jets, his motorcade flanked by white Arabian horses carrying US and Saudi flags, and Prince Mohammed rolled out the lavender carpet for him on Tuesday.
The US president returned the favor by fawning over the crown prince throughout his speech at the Saudi-US investment forum at the The King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh.
After standing before the crowd as 'God Bless the USA' by Lee Greenwald played, Trump began praising the kingdom and its de facto ruler.
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'What a great place, but more importantly what great people,' said Trump, adding of the crown prince, 'We talk about a great man, that is a great man, a great family.'
Prince Mohammed and government officials and business leaders including Elon Musk, who spoke to entertain the crowd as they awaited Trump, clapped at the president's remarks.
Trump struck his familiar note of boasting about the US and its position in the world – but held back in a way he had not before.
'We are rocking: The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country, I have to say, right?' he said, pointing to the crown prince.
'I'm not going to take that on, no Mohammed, I'm not going to take that on. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing to make that full statement, but I will not do it, your honor. At least as long as I'm up here, your honor.'
Trump also joked with the crown prince while possibly contrasting him to former President Joe Biden, whom he bashed repeatedly.
'Mohammed, do you sleep at night? How do you sleep?' What a job,' Trump said.
'He tosses and turns like some of us. It's the ones that don't toss and turn – they're the ones that will never take you to the promised land.
'Critics doubted it was possible, what you've done.'
Trump credited the crown prince for the kingdom's economic development and building towers that are the 'amazing genius of so many people'. He received a standing ovation while mentioning the World Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2034.
'The Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos,' he said.
Trump gushed about the crown prince: 'We have great partners in the world, but we have none stronger and nobody like the gentleman right before me. He's your greatest representative.
'And if I didn't like him, I'd get out of here so fast. He knows me well. I do. I like him a lot. I like him too.'
The crown prince appeared to laugh at every one of Trump's commendations.
Trump thanked Saudi Arabia for facilitating talks between the US and Ukraine toward ending Russia's war.
'If we get that settled we'll pay a special tribute to what you've done,' he said.
Trump concluded with a surprise announcement that he plans to lift sanctions on Syria to allow it to receive international investment and aid to rebuild from its civil war. Trump said he made the decision after speaking with Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
'The Golden Age of the Middle East can proceed right alongside us,' Trump said.
'We will win together and we will always be friends.'
Trump finished off by referring to Saudi Arabia as 'what I think is the greatest nation in the world and we are with you all along the way'.
The crown prince stepped on stage and shook hands with Trump as the president's favorite rally ending song 'Y.M.C.A.' by Village People played. More Trending
According to the White House, Trump secured $600billion in deals with the Saudi government and firms while at the kingdom's capital.
Trump said he has been working 'relentlessly' to end the Russia-Ukraine war and that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top US officials will travel to Turkey on Thursday for talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will be waiting in Istanbul for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has not said if he will appear.
'We'll see if we can get it done,' Trump said of peace talks.
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