Trump Secures $600 Billion in Deals on First Stop of Mideast Tour
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump began his Middle East tour in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, signing more than $600 billion in agreements, including a record $142 billion arms deal.
Welcomed with royal fanfare by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump praised their relationship: “I really believe we like each other a lot.”
Among the more than a dozen agreements signed were defense contracts worth $142 billion. The White House called it the largest such deal “in history,” involving air force and space capabilities, missile defense, coastal and border security, and communication upgrades with equipment sourced from over a dozen U.S. firms.
“The US makes the best military equipment, the best missiles, the best rockets, the best everything,” Trump said.
Trump teased even greater investment potential, noting Prince Mohammed’s existing $600 billion commitment and joking, “Why not make it an even $1 trillion?”
Prince Mohammed appeared eager to demonstrate the Kingdom’s transformation, contrasting Trump’s warm reception with the cool, fist-bump diplomacy of President Biden in 2022 — a visit overshadowed by the CIA’s conclusion that MBS had ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
But that controversy seemed distant Tuesday as MBS and Trump mingled with top business leaders, including Elon Musk, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzman, Sam Altman, and Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, at the Royal Court and an investment conference.
Elon Musk made headlines with a surprise appearance at the forum. He revealed he spoke with the Saudi royal family and Trump about “tens of millions” of humanoid robots he hopes will soon be part of daily life.
President Trump emphasized that the Middle East’s transformation is not the result of Western intervention but of regional self-determination.
“It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs,” Trump said. “Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves.”
He also made an overture to Iran, stating, “I do not want merely to condemn the past choices of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new and a better path toward a much more hopeful future.”
Trump’s itinerary notably skips Israel — a departure from his first term, when Riyadh was also his first overseas stop but was followed by a visit to Jerusalem.
Tensions simmered behind the scenes. Trump’s halt of U.S. airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis — without notifying Israel — drew sharp criticism.
Skipping Israel on this trip, Trump was seen aligning more closely with Gulf leaders.
The president’s visit to the Gulf aligns with personal business interests. The Trump Organization has ongoing real estate projects in all three countries on his itinerary: a tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai, and a golf complex in Qatar.
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