Opulence and business deals among takeaways from Trump's Middle East tour
US President Donald Trump used the first major foreign trip of his second term to outline a vision for restoring global stability that is grounded in pragmatism and self-interest rather than values, holding out ties to wealthy Gulf countries as a model for America's long-time foes.
Mr Trump's four-day swing through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, which ends on Friday, put a spotlight on his transactional approach to foreign affairs as he was feted by autocratic rulers with a trio of lavish state visits where there was heavy emphasis on economic and security partnerships.
His trip played out against the backdrop of stubborn global conflicts, including Gaza and Ukraine, that showed the limits of his influence.
US President Donald Trump arrives with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the group photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders during the GCC Summit (Alex Brandon/AP)
But Mr Trump insisted he was turning the page on American 'interventionalism' in the region as he moved to recognise the new government in Syria for the first time and prodded Iran to engage on nuclear talks before it is too late.
Here are some takeaways from Mr Trump's travels.
– Trump marvelled at Gulf state opulence but held his tongue on human rights
Presidential trips to the Middle East usually feature at least some public calls for authoritarian governments to improve their human rights efforts.
Not this one, as Mr Trump celebrated his business deals with Gulf royals and admired their wealth.
Mr Trump toured the marble and gilded palaces of Gulf rulers and deemed them 'perfecto' and 'very hard to buy'.
He praised the 'gleaming marvels' of the skyline in Saudi Arabia and he groused about the 'much less impressive' Air Force One.
In Mr Trump's remarks at a VIP business conference in Riyadh, he went out of his way to distance himself from the actions of past administrations, the days when he said American officials would fly in 'in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs'.
Rights advocates took that as a pledge of non-intervention, swearing off some of the pressure past US presidents have brought to bear on partners to varying degrees to ease up on detentions, suppression of critics and other issues.
'It's absolute support for absolute monarchy,' said Saudi exile Abdullah Alaoudh.
US President Donald Trump and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrive at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi (Alex Brandon/AP)
His father, a Saudi cleric with a wide following there, is imprisoned in the kingdom.
– Thwarted by Putin
While Mr Trump was in the Middle East, Vladimir Putin opted to skip direct peace talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky despite the US president's strong calls for them to meet face-to-face.
Mr Trump has been pushing Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky to move with greater haste to end Russia's grinding war in Ukraine.
But after it became clear Mr Putin would not be attending talks in Turkey this week and would instead be sending underlings to Istanbul, an annoyed Mr Trump insisted he knew all along that it was highly likely Mr Putin would be a no-show.
'I don't believe anything's going to happen whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,' Mr Trump said. 'But we're going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.
Mr Trump was scheduled to fly back to Washington DC on Friday, but tried to keep people guessing until the end.
He teased late on Thursday that he would be heading to a 'destination unknown' — 'probably' Washington, he added.
His opaque language stoked speculation that he might make a drop-by to Turkey.
– On Syria sanctions, Trump takes a leap of faith
Just two months ago, the Trump administration was not sold on Syria's interim government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime al-Qaida-affiliated insurgent.
US President Donald Trump attends a business meeting and roundtable at Qasr Al Watan, in Abu Dhabi, UAE (Altaf Qadri/AP)
They worried the Syrian president did not have the legitimacy to govern the country's ethnically diverse population.
Clashes broke out in early March, killing hundreds and targeting many more members of the Alawite religious minority to which the ousted Syrian leader Basher Assad belongs.
The moment gave the Trump White House pause about easing sanctions on Syria.
But Mr Trump signalled on Monday that he was having a change of heart and was moving toward lifting the Syria sanctions and a day later, he announced the move during an address to Gulf leaders.
Mr Trump then took it another step by agreeing to meet al-Sharaa.
He said he was impressed with Mr al-Sharaa, who not that long ago had a 10 million dollar US bounty on his head.
The president called him a 'young, attractive guy' with a 'very strong past'.
Mr Trump said it was recommendations from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that nudged him to take a chance on Mr al-Sharra.
– Trump's fuzzy maths on display
Throughout the trip, Mr Trump felt more than comfortable dishing out exaggeration and hyperbole.
Qatar Emiri Air Force F-15s provide an honorary escort for Air Force One, carrying US President Donald Trump, as it arrives in Doha, Qatar (Alex Brandon/AP)
'This has been an amazing trip,' Mr Trump told reporters on Thursday as Air Force One was about to land in Qatar.
'We've raised trillions of dollars of investment for our country.'
A little later he put the figure at four trillion dollars.
That figure is about two times the combined gross domestic products of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, meaning that any announced investments would likely accrue over several years — if at all — in ways that might not show up in overall US economic growth numbers.
Boeing confirmed that Qatar's 96 billion dollar purchase of its 787 and 777X jets was the largest order for 787s and wide body jets in the company's history.
Mr Trump enthused it was 'the biggest order in the history of, I think, aviation, certainly of that size' of jets.
Mr Trump also went overboard in running down the economic record of his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, at one point declaring: 'The days of economic misery under the last administration are rapidly giving way to the greatest economy in the history of the world.'
The US economy grew at 2.8% last year but it declined at an annualised rate of 0.3% during the first three months of this year.
– Intractable conflicts remain just that
While Mr Trump's trip initially was conceived as a visit to reward countries that invest in the US, Mr Trump at one point hoped it also would herald significant steps to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Positive news on both fronts proved elusive.
President Donald Trump attends a business meeting and roundtable at Qasr Al Watan, in Abu Dhabi (Altaf Qadri/AP)
Mr Trump barely mentioned either conflict on his trip – and when he did, it was generally in the context of his assertion that they would not have occurred had he won re-election in 2020.
As Israel stepped up an offensive in Gaza — a prelude to a promised full takeover of the territory if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages in its captivity — Mr Trump was again musing about the creation of a 'freedom zone' in its territory.
It is a notion rejected by Palestinians and the broader Arab world because Mr Trump's plan would relocate civilians from Gaza to allow for rebuilding.
Israel conducted significant airstrikes all week in Gaza as Mr Trump was in the region and the fighting on the ground appeared to escalate Friday morning even before Trump left the UAE.
– Ethics issues follow along as Trump travels the Middle East
Mr Trump was already facing questions about conflicts of interest for travelling to the Middle East to shape US policy at a time when his family's business interests in the region have boomed.
He attempted to quiet worries about national security and constitutional questions by insisting he's smart to accept a 400 million dollar luxury plane from Qatar and use it as Air Force One.
'Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars when they can get it for FREE,' Mr Trump posted on his social media site.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Thousands of demonstrators march through Rome to call for end to war in Gaza
Tens of thousands of people have marched through the streets of Rome in protest against the war in Gaza in a demonstration called by Italy's main opposition parties, who accuse the right-wing government of being too silent. Protesters held a banner reading 'Stop the massacre, stop complicity!' at the start of the march, which moved peacefully through the centre of Rome amid a massive display of rainbow, Palestinian and political party flags. The protest attracted a diverse crowd from across the country, including many families with children. Giorgia Meloni's government has been accused of a timid response on the issue (LaPresse via AP) According to organisers, up to 300,000 people participated in the rally organised by the leftist opposition to ask the government for a clear position on the conflict in Gaza. 'This is an an enormous popular response to say enough to the massacre of Palestinians and the crimes of (Israeli leader Benjamin) Netanyahu's government,' the leader of Italy's centre-left Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, told reporters at the march. 'There is another Italy that doesn't remain silent as the Meloni government does,' she said, referring to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Ms Meloni was recently pushed by the opposition to publicly condemn Mr Netanyahu's offensive in Gaza, but many observers considered her criticism too timid. The demo attracted a diverse crowd (AP) '(The Italian government) is not reacting despite an abnormal massacre, despite an absolutely cruel and inappropriate reaction. The (Italian) government remains silent,' said Nadin Unali, a Tunisian demonstrator at the march. Earlier this week, the Italian premier urged Israel to immediately halt its military campaign in Gaza, saying its attacks had grown disproportionately and should be brought to an end to protect civilians. Israel faces mounting international criticism for its offensive and pressure to let aid into Gaza during a humanitarian crisis. Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, with experts warning that many of its two million residents are at high risk of famine. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed (LaPresse via AP) The war broke out on October 7 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 56 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive. Since then, Israel has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians in its military campaign, primarily women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Trump warns Musk of ‘very serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
Donald Trump warned Elon Musk that he faces 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates following the pair's epic public bust-up this week. The warning, delivered in an interview with NBC News set to broadcast on Sunday, follows days of feuding and threats after Musk called Republicans' budget legislation an 'abomination'. Mr Trump told interviewer Kristen Welker his relationship with the tech mogul was over and warned Mr Musk against choosing to fund Democrats after spending close to $300 million (€355 million) in support of Mr Trump's re-election last year. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' he said. READ MORE [ Keith Duggan: Bromance descends into jaw-dropping feud Opens in new window ] Mr Trump was also asked if he had any wish to repair his relationship with Musk. 'No,' he said. Asked if he thought their relationship was over, he said, 'I would assume so, yeah,' and had no plans to speak with his erstwhile sidekick. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Mr Trump said. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' Elon Musk with President Donald Trump during a joint news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, in May. Photograph: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times But he predicted that the spat had helped to unify the Republican Party around him, saying the 'party has never been united like this before. It's never been. It's actually more so than it was three days ago.' Mr Musk's opposition to the Republican budget bill, formally the 'one big beautiful bill act', would not, he predicted affect its passage through Congress. The bill narrowly passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. However, some conservative Republicans share Musk's concerns about the need for significant spending cuts and are considering making changes. The bill extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts and includes new spending for border security and the military. Republicans aimed to offset these costs with cuts to programmes such as Medicaid, food stamps and green-energy tax credits. Projections from the Congressional Budget Office and independent analysts indicate that the bill would add between $2.3tn and $5tn to the deficit over the next 10 years. White House officials contend that the economic growth generated by tax cuts will offset the increased spending. [ How Trump spat threatens Elon Musk's business empire: 'Nobody on the right or left is gonna buy a Tesla' Opens in new window ] Still, Mr Trump told NBC he is 'very confident' that the bill will pass the Senate before July 4th. 'I think, actually, Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren't as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,' Mr Trump said. 'So in that sense, there was a big favour. But I think Elon, really, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken.' And he accused Mr Musk of being 'disrespectful to the office of the president'. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president,' he said. Earlier, Musk deleted a post from X, the social media platform he owns, that asserted links between Trump and disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein . Probed on the inflammatory post, Mr Trump said: 'That's called 'old news', that's been old news, that has been talked about for years. Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news.' Musk has also retracted a threat to begin 'decommissioning' SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft used by Nasa to ferry astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. That came after Mr Trump suggested he might cancel SpaceX's federal contracts. On Saturday, the president said he hadn't given the subject any more thought. 'I'd be allowed to do that,' he said, 'but I haven't given it any thought.' Earlier on Saturday, JD Vance told interviewer and comedian Theo Von that Mr Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Mr Trump, but downplayed Mr Musk's attacks as being made by an 'emotional guy' who got frustrated.' I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' the vice-president said. But he reasoned: 'Look, it happens to everybody. I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.' 'I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' Vance said. – Guardian
Extra.ie
5 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Taylor Swift loses youngest self-made billionaire title to college dropout
Taylor Swift has been stripped of her title as the world's youngest self-made billionaire. The coveted title now belongs to Carnegie Mellon University dropout Lucy Guo, who has surpassed the Love Story songstress. Guo's 5% stake in Scale AI brings her estimated net worth up to $1.3 billion in a new report from Forbes. Taylor Swift has been stripped of her title as the world's youngest self-made billionaire. Pic:for Sinan Tuna Scale AI is a data annotation firm that provides labelled data used to train artificial intelligence apps. Guo founded in 2016 alongside her business partner Alexandr Wang. 'I think we're about to see a lot more entrepreneurs be women and valuations grow at a tremendous rate,' she told the publication. 'I wouldn't be surprised if someone else took the title next year, but it's really exciting to see.' The coveted title now belongs to Carnegie Mellon University dropout Lucy Guo, who has surpassed the Love Story songstress. Pic:for Passes 'I still live a very frugal lifestyle. For lunch I get 'buy one get one free' all the time or like, the 50%-off deals. But the one day I decide I need a private jet, maybe I'll sell some shares, but at the moment I'm very happy flying commercial.' Chatting about taking the title from Swift, she added that Swift has 'always struck me as someone that's very pro-woman and wants other people to win.' She continued: 'I am a huge fan of her, I think she's an icon.' The Chinese-American's other ventures include OnlyFans rival Passes. However, earlier this year she was sued by a content creator who made claim that the site distributed sexually abusive material of her while she was underage.
