Trump to embark on Middle East trip to strengthen ties with Gulf states

[ad_1] President Donald Trump on Monday will embark on a four-day tour of the Center East, stopping in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a visit underscoring the deepening financial ties between the US and the Gulf kingdoms.

Touring to a area dealing with ongoing diplomatic, political and safety challenges -- together with Iran's nuclear program, the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the destiny of Syria following a brutal 14-year civil conflict -- Trump is predicted to deal with enterprise growth and commerce agreements on his journey, following commitments from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to speculate a whole lot of billions of {dollars} in the US and on joint investments over the following a number of years.

On Friday, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Trump's journey will "deal with strengthening ties" between the U.S. and the Gulf nations.

"President Trump will return to reemphasize his continued imaginative and prescient for a proud, affluent and profitable Center East the place the US and Center Jap nations are in cooperative relationship and the place extremism is defeated rather than commerce and cultural exchanges," she stated.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to speculate $600 billion in the US over 4 years after Trump's November victory, and the United Arab Emirates have additionally dedicated to a $1.4 trillion U.S. funding package deal over the following decade. Enterprise and expertise leaders will likely be convening in Riyadh round Trump's journey for a Saudi-U.S. funding discussion board.

President Donald Trump appears on as he provides remarks exterior the West Wing on the White Home in Washington, D.C., Might 8, 2025.

Kent Nishimura/Reuters

ABC Information has additionally reported that the Trump administration is making ready to just accept a luxurious Boeing jumbo jet from the Qatari royal household to be used as a presidential plane earlier than being transferred to the Trump presidential library basis after his time period ends.

White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to ABC Information' reporting, saying in an announcement that "any present given by a overseas authorities is at all times accepted in full compliance with all relevant legal guidelines."

The president's household has additionally traveled to the area and has expanded its enterprise pursuits within the Center East: The Trump Group has partnered with builders on new tasks in Saudi Arabia, Doha and the United Arab Emirates, and is concerned in a cryptocurrency enterprise linked to a fund with ties to the Emirati authorities.

Leavitt on Friday dismissed questions in regards to the president's household's enterprise dealings within the area forward of his journey and stated Trump "has truly misplaced cash for being president of the US."

"The president acts with solely the pursuits of the American public in thoughts, placing our nation first and doing what's greatest for our nation -- full cease," she stated.

"It is frankly ridiculous that anybody on this room would even recommend that President Trump is doing something for his personal profit. He left a lifetime of luxurious and a lifetime of working a really profitable actual property empire for public service," she later added.

White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters within the James Brady Press Briefing Room on the White Home, Might 9, 2025, in Washington.

Leah Millis/Reuters

Trump additionally started his first time period in workplace with a go to to Saudi Arabia, in a break along with his predecessors who had visited conventional U.S. allies and main commerce companions on their first official overseas journeys.

That journey to Saudi Arabia -- which additionally included stops in Israel and later in Europe -- targeted on encouraging native companions to redouble efforts to battle "extremism" and terrorist teams, and work to marginalize Iran.

Since then, Saudi Arabia and different Gulf states have improved relations with Iran, and are actually supportive of the Trump administration's diplomatic efforts to deal with Iran's nuclear program.

"Each the Saudis and the Emiratis have determined that their precedence is financial funding and getting away from power, and that conflict with Iran is sort of a large hazard to all of that. So that they've utterly shifted on Iran," Ilan Goldenberg, a Center East specialist who labored within the Obama and Biden administrations, advised ABC Information.

The continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza additionally looms over Trump's journey, given Israel's plans to broaden navy operations in Gaza.

<img alt="PHOTO: President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi put their hands on an illuminated globe during the inauguration ceremony of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology." class="hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" loading="lazy" src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/c275e5d4-49d8-4976-a706-5ce7ffa7fdb0/donald-trump-saudi-arabia-02-gty-jef-250512_1747056072238_hpMain.jpg"/> President Donald Trump, First girl Melania Trump, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi put their palms on an illuminated globe throughout the inauguration ceremony of the World Heart for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Might 21, 2017.

Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Council/Anadolu Company/Getty Photos

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and President Donald Trump be a part of dancers with swords at Murabba Palace forward a dinner given in honour of Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Might 20, 2017.

Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Council/Anadolu Company/Getty Photos

In Riyadh, Trump is predicted to hitch a Gulf Cooperation Council assembly earlier than he travels to Qatar.

Whereas the president has aimed to ink a regional diplomatic settlement increasing on the Abraham Accords of his first time period, the conflict in Gaza has successfully frozen efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and different Arab international locations, consultants advised ABC Information.

"From the Saudi perspective, it makes it more durable" to enhance diplomatic relations with Israel, Zineb Riboua, a fellow with Hudson Institute's Heart for Peace and Safety within the Center East. "Due to what has occurred and what's at the moment taking place [in Gaza], they're struggling."

Trump may hear from Arab leaders in regards to the humanitarian state of affairs in Gaza, given the U.S.'s ongoing navy assist for Israel, and Israeli plans to broaden its marketing campaign in Gaza to root out Hamas.

In February, Trump proposed that the U.S. "take over" Gaza and assist rebuild it, a plan that was rejected by Arab leaders, who put ahead their very own counterproposal that the U.S. and Israel have opposed.

There have additionally been disputes between the U.S., Israel and Arab nations over easy methods to administer humanitarian assist blockaded by Israel to Palestinians in Gaza.

Although the journey is Trump's first deliberate overseas journey, he traveled to Rome and the Vatican in April to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

On the sidelines of that journey, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the 2 international locations labored to cement a minerals deal.

Saudi Arabia has hosted bilateral peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, underscoring the dominion's rising political affect, along with its financial and industrial significance within the area.

Trump "sees the Gulf as they see themselves, as an actual fulcrum of worldwide energy," Jon Alterman, the Center East Program Chair at Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research, advised ABC Information.

"Lots of people on the earth assume the Gulf is an outlier. A bunch of small, rich states that depend on the US for safety, safety. The Gulf sees itself in a different way, and the president is suggesting he sees the Gulf in a different way," Alterman stated.

Trump may obtain a lavish welcome from the Gulf monarchs within the area, just like the royal remedy he obtained when he visited Saudi Arabia in 2017.

The Saudis rolled out the purple carpet for his arrival, greeting him on the airport with a navy jet flyover and later awarding him a gold medal -- the nation's prime civilian honor -- and treating him to a standard sword dance.

Trump's journey additionally comes on the heels of Hamas asserting that they are going to be releasing Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a twin US citizen, which will likely be a part of steps taken to attain a ceasefire. Hamas stated that they've been in touch with American officers over the previous few days over the efforts to try to obtain a ceasefire deal.

President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Fact Social, Sunday night, confirming that Alexander will likely be launched from Hamas. Trump didn't specify when Alexander was anticipated to be launched, however stated, "That is the primary of these last steps obligatory to finish this brutal battle."