Saudi Arabia (May 13–14) , Saudi Arabia, 2025 On May 12, Trump temporarily stopped at
RAF Mildenhall in
Suffolk to refuel before going to
Riyadh. As he traveled to Saudi Arabia, he was interviewed by
Sean Hannity of
Fox News. Trump met with Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman the following day, where he repeated his calls to increase Saudi Arabia's investment in the United States from billion to trillion; the figure is approximately equal to Saudi Arabia's
gross domestic product for a year and exceeds the
Public Investment Fund's assets. Trump and Mohammed signed a "strategic economic partnership" agreement that includes a billion
letter of intent to improve defense capabilities, a
memorandum of understanding with the
United States Department of Justice and on energy resources, cooperations on diseases, and agreements between the
Saudi Space Agency and
NASA and between the
government of Saudi Arabia and the
National Zoological Park to establish a dedicated exhibit for the
Arabian leopard. The visit elevated Mohammed's standing within the Saudi government as
King Salman, who did not appear during the Saudi visit, has largely receded from public view. In contrast to the
2017 Riyadh summit—when King Salman greeted Trump at
King Khalid International Airport—Mohammed now handles such welcomes. Trump's visit coincided with the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, an event that included the chief executives of
Blackstone,
Citigroup, and
Palantir Technologies. During the forum,
Nvidia and
AMD announced that they would provide semiconductors to Humain, a Saudi artificial intelligence company, in a billion project.
Elon Musk, an advisor to Trump, stated that the Saudi government had approved plans to use
Starlink for aviation and maritime shipping and that he had shown
Optimus robots to Trump and Mohammed. Speaking at the forum, Trump encouraged Saudi Arabia to join the
Abraham Accords—drawing silence from the audience—announced that he would lift sanctions on
Syria, and implored
Iran to negotiate over
its nuclear program. Trump notably emphasized that "there could be no sharper contrast" between the constructive path being followed on the
Arabian Peninsula and the "disaster unfolding" across the Gulf in Iran, noting how he intended to
rename the Persian Gulf to the "Arabian Gulf". DataVolt, a Saudi company, committed to invest billion into U.S. energy infrastructure and data centers; in turn, American firms invested billion into Saudi projects, including
King Salman International Airport,
King Salman Park, and
Qiddiya City. The announced deals amounted to approximately billion in investments. Trump attended a state dinner in
Diriyah after speaking at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum. and President of Syria
Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, 2025 Prior to going to
Doha, Trump met with Syrian president
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first time that the leaders had met since a meeting was convened between
Bill Clinton and
Hafez al-Assad in
Geneva in 2000, and urged him to join the Abraham Accords. Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took part in the meeting. Trump attended a
Gulf Cooperation Council summit with
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar,
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of
Kuwait,
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of
Bahrain.
Oman and the
United Arab Emirates sent representatives,
Asa'ad bin Tariq Al Said and
Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan respectively. In his opening remarks, Mohammed advocated for a conclusion to the
Gaza war that would lead to the goals set forth in the
Arab Peace Initiative.
Qatar (May 14–15) in
Lusail, Qatar, 2025 Trump arrived in Doha on May 14, where he met with Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Hours later,
Qatar Airways signed an agreement to purchase as many as 210 planes from
Boeing, in what Trump described as "the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing". The United States announced over billion in deals with Qatar, including a billion defense agreement with
Raytheon for Qatari counter-drone capabilities, a billion contract with
General Atomics for
MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicles, and billion for
Al Udeid Air Base. Trump later attended a state dinner at Lusail Palace where he appealed to Qatar to improve
Iran–United States relations. After the dinner, Trump and Tamim gathered for a ceremony passing the hosting duties of the
FIFA World Cup to the United States. The following day, he participated in a business roundtable at St. Regis Doha and visited
Al Udeid Air Base.
United Arab Emirates (May 15–16) Trump arrived in
Abu Dhabi on May 15, becoming the second serving U.S. president to visit the country. He toured the
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan. The United Arab Emirates awarded Trump the
Order of Zayed, the country's highest civil decoration. During the visit, the
United States Department of Commerce announced a deal with the Emirates and Emirati artificial intelligence firm
G42 to establish the largest data center for artificial intelligence outside of the United States in Abu Dhabi. Trump attended a business event and visited the
Abrahamic Family House the following day before returning to the United States. On May 16, Trump acknowledged the
famine in the Gaza Strip and promised to address the situation. ==Impact==