Key moments from Trump's Mideast jaunt: Deals, disco and a blue carpet
"That's not what they want," Trump said. "They don't want a fist bump. They want to shake his hand."
Trump wrapped up a four-day excursion to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on May 16. It was heavy on pageantry, commerce and camel-appreciation. He signed multi-billion dollar deals. Toured Riyadh's gilded palaces. Expressed a luxury hotel builder's admiration for marble floors and columns in Doha. In Abu Dhabi, Trump was dazzled by the white minarets and domes of the "incredible" Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Throughout, Trump was treated to opulent state dinners and feted like only three of the world's wealthiest monarchies likely can. There were escorts from fighter jets and flag-bearing Arabian horsemen. The disco hit "YMCA," a song familiar from Trump's rallies, and to some a LGBTQ+ anthem, was blasted at least twice.
There was also time for serious policy asides - on Syria, Russia's Ukraine war, Gaza and Iran.
Here are some of the key moments and takeaways from the trip.
Dealmaker-in-chief gets deals, deals, deals
The White House made no secret of its main goal for Trump's visit: to sign trade and economic deals that benefit Americans. In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated a pledge to invest $600 billion in U.S.-Saudi partnerships encompassing artificial intelligence data centers, infrastructure projects, healthcare technologies, science collaborations, and various defense and security ties and initiatives.
In Qatar, Trump announced an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion. One headline-grabbing agreement: Qatar Airways said it would buy up to 210 Boeing jets for $96 billion. The White House said the deal would support 154,000 jobs in the U.S. each year of their production, totaling 1 million jobs over the deal's lifecycle, and that the deal represented the largest-ever order of 787 Dreamliners, a wide-body, long-range aircraft.
Qatari 747: How Air Force One stacks up to Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky'
The UAE's leaders want American help to make the nation a global leader in AI. The UAE and U.S. signed a framework deal to allow the UAE to import each year hundreds of thousands of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips. The UAE will also invest billions in the U.S. energy and manufacturing sectors.
"Somebody's going to be taking the credit for this," Trump said in Abu Dhabi.
"You remember," he added, addressing reporters, "this guy did it."
Royal red carpets - and one lavender one
The three Gulf nations - all rich petrostates - did their best to charm and impress a man who admitted in his book "The Art of the Deal" to be smitten by royalty and all the glitz and glamor that surrounds it.
In Riyadh, Trump was greeted at the airport not just by the crown prince and an honor guard lined up with golden swords, but a lavender carpet - a color that celebrates Saudi identity and is reserved for the most high-profile dignitaries. A cavalry of Arabian horses accompanied his presidential limousine - nicknamed the Beast - everywhere it went.
More: Trump denies talking golf, real estate in Saudi meetings
"As a construction person, this is perfect marble," Trump said to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as he gestured to the walls and columns of Amiri Diwan, Qatar's presidential office.
"This is what they call perfecto. We appreciate those camels," Trump added. His motorcade in Doha was trailed by a parade of red cybertrucks and camels. "I haven't seen camels like that in a long time," he said.
Trump was welcomed at Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, by dozens of children waving U.S. flags and line of women in white gowns who stood along a walkway, rhythmically flipping their long hair from side to side in a traditional dance known as "Al-Ayyala," while men behind them beat drums and chanted.
Al-Ayyala is intended to simulate a battle scene, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO. "I love it!" Trump said after observing the performance. He then toured one of the world's largest mosques, removing his shoes to take heed of Islamic customs.
"Isn't this beautiful? It is so beautiful," Trump said, as he marveled at the arches, white pillars and intricate flower inlays at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. "Very proud of my friends. This is an incredible culture."
A Syrian meeting unthinkable months ago
Trump met in Riyadh with a man who only months ago had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. Ahmed al-Sharaa has transformed himself from an al Qaeda militant to Syria's president.
Sharaa joined al Qaeda in Iraq around the time of 2003 U.S.-led invasion. He spent years in a U.S. prison in Iraq before returning to Syria to join the insurgency against now deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia with his family, and according to reports, much of his vast wealth in December 2024.
Syria's leader: How he rose from al-Qaeda to a meeting with President Trump
"I think he has got the potential," Trump remarked after his meeting with Sharaa. It came after Trump announced the U.S. was lifting sanctions on Syria that have hurt its economy.
Talk of Ukraine, Iran, Gaza
Trump said in Qatar the U.S. was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and that Tehran had "sort of" agreed to the terms. A senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to confirm progress is being made in an interview with NBC News. The U.S. wants Iran to halt its uranium enrichment.
Washington suspects Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear activities are for civilian energy purposes only. The U.S. and Iran have been holding talks over Tehran's nuclear program for weeks, with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, calling the last round in Muscat, the capital of Oman, "encouraging."
A deal with Iran? Trump says he's close to one
As Trump capped the first foreign tour of his second term, he also made brief comments on Gaza, acknowledging reports from Gazans, the UN and rights groups that "a lot of people are starving."
A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, shortly after Israel reimposed a total blockade on Gaza that aid agencies say has sparked critical food shortages. Trump also addressed Gaza when he was in Qatar, saying he wants to make the Palestinian territory into a "freedom zone," a variation on his "Riviera of the Middle East" proposal for the seaside enclave where tens of thousands have been killed.
'Riviera of the Middle East' no more? Trump has new plan for war-torn Gaza
And over the course of the four-day trip, it also emerged Trump could add Turkey to his itinerary to take part in peace teaks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But when Putin didn't show, Zelenskyy bailed and then so did Trump, though a lower-level delegation of Russian and Ukrainian negotiators did show up in Istanbul on May 16 for what was billed as their first direct peace talks in more than three years. As did Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"Look, nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together," Trump said.
Young man! Cue 'YMCA'
It was also, at times, a music-filled trip.
Trump was welcomed on stage at an investment conference in Riyadh, and the next day at a U.S. military base in Qatar, while Nashville singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" was played.
The patriotic country song is a staple at Trump's political rallies.
A familiar tune: Trump ends Saudi Arabia and Qatar visit with 'YMCA'
Trump walked off the stage in Riyadh, and one at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, to The Village People's 1978 hit "YMCA." The crown prince stood next to Trump on the stage in Saudi Arabia, a country that has outlawed homosexuality and alternative forms of gender expression, sometimes punishable by death.
"That was a great four days, historic four days," Trump told reporters on the flight home. "The jobs and money coming into our countries - there has never been anything like it."
Sanam Vakil, a Middle East analyst at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said ahead of Trump's regional jaunt that "human rights will not be part of Trump's agenda."
They weren't.
Trump's Gulf tour: personal diplomacy and family business intersect
On Air Force, Trump warmed to his theme.
"Everyone's talking about it," he said. "The respect shown to our country was incredible."
Trump then said it was time to get back to Washington, not least because he wanted to go see his new grandson. As grandpa was inking billion-dollar deals in faraway gleaming cities built in deserts, his daughter Tiffany gave birth to a baby boy, her first child, the president's 11th grandchild.
At the airport in Abu Dhabi, Trump's Emirati hosts rolled out a baby blue carpet for his exit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
35 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
The fundamental battle which unites Donald Trump and Nigel Farage
There is a fundamental contest under way - with those who purport to be on the side of the people pitching themselves against those whom they decry as the failing Establishment. Look at the recent elections in the UK and the USA. Sir Keir Starmer did not enter Downing Street on a tide of love. Rather, he benefited from loathing directed at the departing Tories. A revulsion he helped foment. That does not mean that his election was illegitimate. Rather, that it is predicated upon disquiet and discontent, rather than optimism and hope. Read more by Brian Taylor In the USA, Donald Trump regained the White House by positing himself as the voice of a disgruntled people. A siren yelling at an Establishment which he chose to depict as anyone opposed to him. This political turmoil has common origins on both sides of the Atlantic; a sluggish, static economy. It can thus be traced back to the banking crash of 2008. Folk feel unsettled and discontented. Looking for scapegoats, they blame – or are exhorted to blame – those who have held power over a prolonged period. In EU countries like Germany and France, that has resulted in the rise of the populist Right, held off – just, so far – by more mainstream offers. In the USA, that has meant the election of a President – whose supporters previously stormed the Capitol building and who is now in direct conflict with counter-balancing elements of the Constitution he is pledged to uphold. Donald Trump won by decrying the entire political structure in the US. He won by pitching a populist appeal against elements he claimed had weakened America in search of self-interest. While corporate America sought calm constraint, he surrounded himself with individualistic, oligarchical figures whose chief talents lie in disruption, in challenging the status quo. Elon Musk has now left Team Trump, with a whimper of disquiet. He was never a team player, happier issuing orders rather than compromising. But, more, he fears that Trump's 'big beautiful bill' will counter his own cost-cutting efforts by devoting far too many dollars to defence spending. But, as we wish so long to Elon, there is now a far more significant controversy. A federal court has ruled that President Trump exceeded his powers on trade tariffs. Nigel Farage (Image: free) That is out to appeal. But President Trump's initial response is intriguing. He seeks to depict his rivals and the judiciary as part of an Establishment rump which he blames for undermining him – and, by extension, the America for which he purportedly stands. It is a quite deliberate and specific challenge to the entire structure of countervailing power upon which America is founded. President Trump summons up a crisis – then offers himself as the sole, incontestable solution. A tactic not unknown elsewhere down the decades and centuries. Generally associated with despots. Not that such a term should be applied to the elected 47th President of the United States of America. Across the US northern border, there is turmoil of a different kind – and the positing of an intriguing solution. While President Trump identifies and excoriates his enemies within, the Canadians are angry and unhappy over an external challenge. From Donald J. Trump who wants to annexe Canada as the 51st American state. Enter, briefly, King Charles. Opening the Canadian Parliament. Delivering the Speech from the Throne, as his mother did in 1977. The task usually falls to the Governor General, a term that speaks of times past. But the King sought to look to the future, from this troubled present. And his choice of language echoed our age of anxiety. A diplomatic nod to the annexation issue, vaunting Canada as 'strong and free'. His audience will not have missed the significance of the freedom reference. But he went further, adding: 'The Crown has for so long been a symbol of unity for Canada. It also represents stability and continuity from the past to the present.' In essence, the King was responding to a decidedly North American political conflict by offering a regal hand across the ocean. Equating monarchy with permanent reassurance. But what of the sovereign's regular home, this United Kingdom? Here too there is disquiet. But, more than that, there are signs of fragmentation in the political system, exemplified above all in the rise of Reform UK. Nigel Farage may attract adulation and loathing to varying degrees – but he is reading contemporary politics well. To be frank, that is scarcely difficult. Folk are thoroughly unhappy and, indeed, angry. They are upset over the cost of living, energy bills, taxation. They are discontented with the familiar political system, feeling it pays no heed to their concerns. Enter Nigel. He discloses a hitherto understated concern for those on benefits by offering to reverse Labour government constraint. Read more Mr Farage presents established parties with a conundrum. Do they ignore him and hope he fades away? Or do they, like the Prime Minister this week, assail his policies as unfunded, damaging drivel? Then there is Scotland. Firstly, that row with Anas Sarwar. Mr Farage plays innocent. He was only quoting the Scottish Labour leader who had hoped people of Asian heritage might enter politics. The Reform version had Mr Sarwar prioritising the Pakistani community. Mr Sarwar stresses he intended no such thing – and calls Mr Farage a spiv for good measure. This particular controversy will subside – although canine whistles can persist, faintly. But there is a broader issue, which has featured in the Hamilton by-election. Does Reform represent an enduring challenge to the already fractured Scottish political system? Scots are very far from immune in the age of anxiety. Plus, as The Herald disclosed, they now count immigration among their chief concerns. Each of the major political parties knows the response. They need to focus upon delivery, upon popular concerns. But they need to do so through measured, thoughtful discourse. The people will tolerate no less. Brian Taylor is a former political editor for BBC Scotland and a columnist for The Herald. He cherishes his family, the theatre - and Dundee United FC
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
China hits back at Trump, saying U.S. actions 'severely undermine' trade truce
HONG KONG — China on Monday accused the United States of breaching the 90-day trade truce agreed by the world's two largest economies, after President Donald Trump said it was Beijing that had 'totally violated' the agreement. Last month, the U.S. and China announced a 90-day pause on most of their tit-for-tat tariffs, which had reached higher than 100%. Trump initially hailed the truce as a 'total reset' but said Friday in a post on his Truth Social platform that China had 'TOTALLY VIOLATED' the deal. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce struck back at Trump's remarks Monday, saying that while China had implemented and actively upheld the deal, the U.S. had introduced a series of 'discriminatory and restrictive measures against China' that 'severely undermine' the agreement. The ministry said those measures included AI chip export controls, a reported pause on the sale of chip design software to China, and the announcement of U.S. plans to revoke the visas of Chinese students. 'Instead of reflecting on its own actions, it has falsely accused China of violating the consensus, which is a serious distortion of the facts,' the ministry said in a statement. 'China firmly rejects these groundless accusations.' The ministry urged the U.S. to 'immediately correct its erroneous practices' and vowed to take 'strong and resolute' measures if Washington 'insists on acting unilaterally and continues to harm China's interests,' without providing details. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that China was 'holding back' exports of rare earths that it had agreed to release as part of the truce. 'That is not what a reliable partner does,' he said on the CBS news program 'Face the Nation.' Rare earth minerals are a crucial component of products that cut across the U.S. economy, including the tech sector, the energy industry and automobile manufacturing. China supplies 60% of the world's rare earth elements and is responsible for the refining of 90% of them, according to the International Energy Agency. Bessent, who said last week that U.S.-China trade talks were 'a bit stalled,' said he was 'confident' that rare earths exports and other details could be 'ironed out' in a call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'Maybe it's a glitch in the Chinese system, maybe it's intentional. We'll see after the president speaks with the party chairman,' Bessent said, referring to Xi. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, also suggested Sunday that the two leaders could speak as early as this week. 'President Trump, we expect, is going to have a wonderful conversation about the trade negotiations this week with President Xi,' he said on the ABC news program 'This Week.' Hassett said he was unsure whether a specific date for that conversation had been set. The last publicly known conversation between the U.S. and Chinese presidents was on Jan. 17, days before Trump's inauguration.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump attacks conservative judges, Federalist Society. Why?
"I was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges," Trump said on Truth Social. "I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations." With that, Trump shifted from being a Republican president with a strong legacy of appointing conservative judges to a Republican president with a growing legacy of attacking conservative judges. That's a bad sign for any of his upcoming judicial nominations. Trump turns on conservative legal movement he helped build Trump and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, helped deliver Republicans a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court. A significant part of that effort was The Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization that advocates for an interpretation of the Constitution that adheres to its original meaning. During his first term, Trump's judicial picks were tightly curated by adviser Leonard Leo, then the executive vice president of The Federalist Society. Most notably, all three of Trump's Supreme Court picks - Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett - all had ties to the organization. Opinion: Vance is doing his best to help Trump tear down the Supreme Court These three justices had a hand in overturning Roe v. Wade, striking down unconstitutional firearm restrictions, striking down racist affirmative action practices, curbing the power of administrative state bureaucrats and blocking much of the illegal Biden agenda. Even beyond the Supreme Court, Trump nominated 226 federal judges during his first term, many of those nominations guided by Federalist Society advisers. When did Trump start to turn on conservative judges? While the beginning of this spiral happened when the Supreme Court refused to entertain his 2020 stolen election claims, things have accelerated in his second term. Now, originalist judges have halted Trump's unconstitutional trade policy and have ruled against parts of Trump's mass deportation attempts. Even so, Trump until now was reluctant to outright condemn The Federalist Society. After all, one of the high points of his conservative agenda was his redecorating of the American courts with top-tier judges. The track record of Federalist Society judges is nothing short of a resounding victory for conservatives and the single best accomplishment of Trump's first term in office. Opinion: Elon Musk is frustrated with Republicans wasting DOGE's effort to cut. So am I. None of that matters now. Trump despises those judges because their loyalty is to the Constitution, not to him. He cannot fathom the discipline or honor required to be committed to preserving America's founding documents, rather than his own self-interest. The partnership between the conservative legal movement and Trump was always a temporary one, and Republicans in Congress had to have known that. While Republicans used Trump to reach their goals within the conservative legal movement, they made the mistake of allowing him to undermine the very accomplishments they made in his first term. Trump's future judicial nominations have judges worried Data from Notre Dame Law professor Derek Muller shows that federal judges are retiring at a record-slow pace at the beginning of Trump's second term. Just 11 vacancies have opened up since January, likely because judges are thinking twice about retiring in the face of who may replace them. Trump's first slate of judicial nominees is taking longer than it did in his first term, with confirmation hearings to take place on June 4, according to Axios. There are also fewer vacancies compared with Trump's first term, when he was handed more than 100 on Day 1 as a result of a stubborn Republican Senate majority in President Barack Obama's second term. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Trump appears to be prioritizing his supporters in his early slate of judicial picks. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who has previously represented Trump personally, has been nominated to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Courtof Appeals and sparked some concern even among conservatives. Trump's early judicial picks will determine how comfortable more aging federal judges are with retiring under his second administration. Those committed to the Constitution are understandably worried about who may replace them, and his recent rhetoric does not help me feel better. As Trump's brand of the Republican Party drifts from most of the conservative values it once claimed to support, so too does his support for conservative legal philosophy. Now, anything that stands in the way of Trump is bad, even if it is conservative in ideology. Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.
