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Donald Trump has welcomed Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House with a 21-gun salute, a Marine band and a military flyover, underscoring the strengthening of US relations with the kingdom in the president’s second term.
The crown prince and Trump are expected to seal a series of deals covering defence, artificial intelligence and nuclear energy — including an unprecedented sale of F-35 fighter jets — over the course of the two-day visit, which will feature a day-long US-Saudi business forum on Wednesday.
“Thanks to our dealmaker-in-chief, the United States secured $600bn in historic investments during the President’s visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year, and Americans can expect more good deals for our country spanning technology, manufacturing, critical minerals, defence, and more,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement on Tuesday.
The lavish welcome for the Saudi crown prince — attended by top cabinet officials, a line of trumpeters on the White House balcony and US Marines on horseback — also underscored the rehabilitation of a US-Saudi partnership badly frayed by the 2018 murder by Saudi agents of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump, who has openly courted investment from the oil-rich Gulf, chose Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, for his first trip abroad this year as president.
For Prince Mohammed the reciprocal visit to Washington — his first in eight years — is intended to further strengthen decades of co-operation between Riyadh and Washington, cementing the kingdom’s place as a critical partner on regional security and energy.
The crown prince is also seeking access to US technology, co-operation on Riyadh’s nascent nuclear programme and foreign investment to back his ambitious plans to develop the kingdom and reduce its dependence on oil.
A Trump administration official said the two leaders would make announcements on a “multibillion-dollar investment in America’s AI infrastructure,” co-operation to develop Saudi Arabia’s civil nuclear programme, and “fulfilments” of Prince Mohammed’s previously pledged $600bn investment, announced during Trump’s visit to Riyadh. That included a $142bn defence deal that the White House described as the single largest arms sale in history.
A host of American and Saudi CEOs are expected to attend a black-tie dinner for the Saudi delegation at the White House on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Trump will host a US-Saudi business forum.
Trump said on Monday he planned to approve the kingdom’s request to buy “a lot” of F-35s, the US’s most advanced stealth fighter. The decision is expected to meet fierce opposition from pro-Israel lobbyists and some lawmakers.
The military flyover that welcomed the crown prince to the White House included three F-35s.
The high-profile visit comes at a sensitive political moment for Trump, who is battling low approval ratings, dissatisfaction with his handling of inflation and pressure to release documents related to late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The president’s domestic opponents have also attacked his blurring of family business interests with US foreign policy. Democrats have accused Trump of leveraging his office to generate income for his family’s companies, and of jeopardising US national security by allowing sales of critical technology.
