The extravagant ways Gulf leaders rolled out the red (and lavender) carpet for Trump, in photos
Trump's trip to the Middle East was marked by lavish displays of wealth from oil-rich Gulf states.
He was greeted with lavender carpets, processions of swordsmen and drummers, and lots of American flags.
The White House says Trump secured several major deals with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
President Donald Trump was courted like a king during his trip to the Middle East this week.
From lush lavender carpets, to processions of camels, to the Burj Khalifa lighting up in stars and stripes, to ceremonial songs and dances, the countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates greeted the president with lavish displays of wealth and extravagance.
Trump — who himself has a gold-gilded apartment modeled after the French Palace of Versailles, complete with a diamond-encrusted front door — seemed to love the royal treatment.
"As a construction guy, this is perfect marble," Trump said to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, gesturing around him at a Qatari palace.
"This is what they call perfecto. We appreciate those camels," he said. "I haven't seen camels like that in a long time. And really, we appreciate it very much."
In the first overseas trip of his second term, the president visited the three oil-rich Persian Gulf countries in hopes of securing major deals with them — and on that promise, he seems to have mostly delivered.
According to the White House, Saudi Arabia committed to investing $600 billion in the US (though details on the deals remain vague), Qatar agreed to an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion, and the United Arab Emirates pledged over $200 billion in commercial deals with the US.
Trump has also said he'd like to accept Qatar's offer of a jumbo jet, worth as much as $400 million, to use as his Air Force One — raising legal and ethical concerns from critics and MAGA loyalists alike.
Here's a look inside Trump's grand welcomes in the Middle East.
On his first leg of the trip, Trump was greeted by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a stretch of lavender carpet, flanked by members of the Saudi Royal Guard.
A worker rushed to clean one of several lavender carpets ahead of Trump's arrival in Riyadh.
Trump met with the crown prince inside Riyadh's ornate Royal Court, beneath a looming portrait of King Salman.
Trump's royal welcome in Riyadh included a luncheon and traditional coffee ceremony at the Royal Court.
Saudi men and drummers greeted Trump during his tour of Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the ancestral home of the al Salman royal family.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani greeted Trump in Doha alongside rows of armed guards, as some played musical instruments.
A police Cyber Truck joined Trump's motorcade welcome in Qatar as he headed to the Royal Palace.
Skyscrapers throughout Doha, Qatar were lit up with the American flag to honor Trump's visit.
Flanked by the American and Qatari flags, Trump spoke to a crowd of US and Qatari service members at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha.
Inside Qatar's grand Lusail Palace, Trump and Qatar's Emir greeted a line of guests arriving for a state dinner.
A procession of honor guards on camels escorted Trump's motorcade to Qatar's Lusail Palace for a state dinner.
Trump received an extravagant welcome ceremony upon his arrival at Abu Dhabi's presidential palace in the United Arab Emirates.
The world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, lit up with an American flag in honor of Trump's visit to the country.
The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai just lit up in the American 🇺🇸 flag on the occasion of US President and delegation visit last night to the UAE. pic.twitter.com/DBulZ8oNeS
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) May 16, 2025
Crowds of children with gold head pieces waving American and Qatari flags greeted Trump at the UAE's presidential palace. A line of women also greeted Trump with a traditional dance where they flip their hair from side to side.
pic.twitter.com/sXqS1IboMN
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 15, 2025
The UAE's president awarded Trump with the Order of Zayed, the state's highest civil decoration, to recognize his efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries.
Trump took a tour of the opulent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
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