U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman attend the Saudi-American Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025. (Credit: Hamad Mohammed.)
Received with full honors in Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump pocketed, colossal promises of investments and Saudi purchases, particularly in defense and artificial intelligence, according to White House.
Trump, accompanied by several major business leaders including his ally Elon Musk, had promised to cash in “big checks” during his visit, staying true to his transactional diplomatic approach. On Tuesday, he signed a “strategic economic partnership” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
U.S. executive estimated the amount due to the United States at $600 billion, which corresponds to the figure advanced by the de facto ruler of the Saudi kingdom in January.
In particular, Saudi Arabia is to purchase “advanced” military equipment worth $142 billion, according to an American statement, making it the “largest defense contract in history,” according to the same source.
Additionally, the Saudi company DataVolt will invest “$20 billion in data centers and energy infrastructure related to artificial intelligence” in the United States, again according to the White House. The latter also mentioned technology contracts totaling $80 billion involving Google, software publishers Oracle and Salesforce, and semiconductor giant AMD.
Pomp and complicity
Mohammed bin Salman gave the 78-year-old Republican billionaire, sensitive to ceremonial pomp, a tailor-made welcome, with a fighter jet escort, horse guards, and royal palace grandeur.
The evident cordiality between the two men, seen conversing animatedly with smiles, marked the first day of the visit. “I really think we like each other a lot,” Donald Trump insisted.
Trumps' tour is then set to take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Aside from a round trip to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, this is the first major overseas trip since the start of the second term.
Eight years earlier, Trump had also chosen Saudi Arabia for his first international trip.
The decision to once again prioritize the wealthy oil and gas monarchies of the Gulf over his Western allies reflects their growing geopolitical role and immense economic potential.
As for the countries visited, the challenge is also to secure the support of an impulsive president who advocates for the military and strategic disengagement of the United States outside the immediate geographical surroundings of the world’s leading power.
But the Republican, who prides himself on mastering the art of both diplomatic and economic “deals,” will obviously need to address major regional issues with all his hosts.
This includes the negotiations with Iran on nuclear matters.
Qatari gift
But also Syria and Gaza, where the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
Trump spoke on Tuesday with Edan Alexander, who was released the day before by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that the Israeli army would enter the Gaza Strip “with all (its) strength” in the coming days.
In this context, the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a project dear to Donald Trump for some time, seems excluded from the agenda.
Riyadh indeed asserts that no progress is conceivable without the establishment of a Palestinian state, a more distant prospect than ever.
Washington also concluded a cease-fire agreement with the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Qatar on Wednesday, a stage that already has the air of a political brawl.
Opponents in the United States accuse him of accepting “the largest foreign bribe in recent history,” according to the Democratic Senate leader, Chuck Schumer.
The Qatari royal family offered Donald Trump a Boeing 747-8 to at least provisionally replace his official plane, and for use after his term.
Trump replied that the plane was a “temporary gift.”