On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump started an important trip to meet leaders in rich countries in the Gulf region. His first stop? Saudi Arabia! But guess what? Trump wasn’t just talking about security issues like the war in Gaza or Iran’s nuclear program. He was there to focus on huge business deals that could bring in trillions of dollars!
Meeting with Big Names
When Trump got off Air Force One (his special plane), he was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MbS). Trump even gave a big fist pump in the air to show how excited he was. Along with him were some famous business leaders, including billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
What’s the Big Deal About This Visit?
The main reason Trump was in Saudi Arabia was to talk about investments. Saudi Arabia has a lot of oil and wants to make more money by investing in different industries, not just oil. They promised to invest $600 billion with the US, but Trump wants them to invest $1 trillion! That’s 1,000 billion dollars!
In Riyadh, the capital city, the Saudi-US Investment Forum took place. It’s like a big meeting where leaders and business people come together to talk about future investments and how to work together.
Trump’s Plan to Help Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Investment Minister said that the partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia has been great for both countries, and when they work together, amazing things happen. The US and Saudi Arabia have been good friends for many years, especially because the US buys a lot of Saudi oil.
Trump wants to help Saudi Arabia by bringing even more business to the kingdom and making it a place where people can invest in things like technology and future cities.
Who’s in Charge of Making the Deals?
Some of the big names at the forum included Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock (a company that manages money), and Stephen Schwartzman, the CEO of Blackstone. Elon Musk was also there, talking with both Trump and the Crown Prince during a special palace reception.
Big Plans for Saudi Arabia’s Future
The Crown Prince, MbS, has a big plan called Vision 2030. This plan is about changing Saudi Arabia’s economy so it doesn’t depend on oil anymore. They’re working on futuristic cities like NEOM, which is a city the size of Belgium!
However, some of their big plans have been slowed down because oil prices aren’t as high as they used to be.
Why Didn’t Trump Visit Israel?
Trump is traveling to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next, but many people were surprised because Trump didn’t stop in Israel. This has raised some questions about how important Israel is to the US right now. Trump has been trying to make peace in places like Ukraine and Gaza, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
What’s Next?
Trump has been talking to Saudi Arabia about selling them over $100 billion worth of advanced weapons. That’s a lot of money for new military equipment!
Trump also helped create the Abraham Accords during his first term. This was a peace deal where countries like the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco agreed to recognize Israel. Some people think more countries might do this soon, but it’s not easy because there’s still fighting in Gaza.
This trip shows how much Trump wants to help Saudi Arabia grow its economy and how both countries want to make big business deals together! With all these important meetings, it looks like big things are coming soon!
