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SOURCE: POLITICO- AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
Forget NATO. Trump’s first major foreign tour takes him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The world has changed in the past eight years — Donald Trump, in large part, has not.
As he did during his first term as president, Trump is once again breaking decades of diplomatic rules and choosing to start his first major foreign trip in Saudi Arabia. Later in the week, he will travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — two other Gulf states that share his pragmatic, almost commercial approach to foreign policy and have the resources to fulfill his need for spectacular deals.
“He wants a big, successful visit, and these are countries where he will be greeted with great respect and pomp. Everything will be carefully planned, without public outcry,” said one former U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to freely express his views on the president’s intentions.
The three destinations have been described as “safe choices” at a time when Trump has failed to stop the war in Ukraine and US relations with the rest of the world have been strained by the economic turmoil caused by his tariffs and the re-examination of traditional alliances.
“I still think there are things he can announce as part of a positive agenda, especially on trade and investment,” the official added.
The administration has so far been evasive about the specific goals or outcomes he expects from the trip. Last week, Trump said he would “have a really, really big announcement — the biggest one yet,” although it was not clear whether that referred to the Middle East visit itself.
In addition to economic interests, Trump sees the three Arab states as key diplomatic partners — whether it’s resolving the Red Sea crisis, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, negotiating a new nuclear deal with Iran, or even issues beyond the region. Saudi Arabia, for example, has mediated preliminary talks between US, Ukrainian and Russian officials. The Emirates helped free Americans imprisoned in Russia, while Qatar played a key role in efforts to broker a more lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
“This administration sees its Gulf partners as trusted intermediaries — unlike its traditional allies in Europe,” said Stephen Cook, a senior fellow for the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations. “It’s a different direction for American foreign policy.”
Until Trump’s first administration, American presidents had traditionally made their first visits since World War II to Canada, Mexico or European NATO members. The six-day Middle East tour, which began in Saudi Arabia, further underscores Trump’s interest in the region and a shift in American foreign policy priorities, with democratic values giving way to business and strategic interests.
“All three countries have a lot of money,” said a White House aide involved in organizing the trip, speaking on condition of anonymity. “And that’s the whole point.”
Just seven years ago, Saudi agents loyal to the crown prince brutally murdered and dismembered dissident journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi. Then-President Joe Biden initially ignored Saudi Arabia over the crime, but he, like his predecessor Trump, relented in 2022, when oil prices soared after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He decided that an alliance with the world’s largest oil producer was more important than a symbolic message on human rights.
The Gulf’s vast sovereign wealth funds are an increasingly important source of foreign investment in the United States and inspired Trump to launch an American version. He has backed the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Tour, a rival to the PGA, and has built close relationships with key players in the region.
Qatar’s Emir Tamim Al Thani visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort last fall, ahead of the election. Trump, according to a source familiar with his views, often expressed admiration for the small country of just three million people but the world's highest per capita income: "These are the richest people," he said.
Immediately after returning to the White House, Trump announced that Saudi Arabia could be his first foreign destination, reminding a reporter in the Oval Office that during his first term, he had broken tradition and traveled there first "because they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of American goods." He said he could do it again "if Saudi Arabia wants to buy another $450 billion or $500 billion." Just three days later, he boasted of an agreement with Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Riyadh to increase its investments by an additional $600 billion.
The region's emirs, presidents, and kings want to remain on good terms with the American president, who sees everything through the prism of business deals. That's why all three will host official state visits for Trump and gala dinners and announce billions of dollars in investment in the United States, as well as new orders for American weapons.
Gulf officials say the focus of the upcoming visits will be on the economy.
“The emphasis will be on business and investment,” said an Emirati official.
Saudi Arabia says important deals with the United States are still being finalized before the delegation arrives. Riyadh has sent a 50-person team to America in recent weeks to negotiate details. Saudi Arabia is hosting an investment forum on May 13, where business leaders will include CEOs of companies such as RTX, BlackRock and Palantir, who will meet with Saudi officials and businessmen.
Saudi Arabia will host a summit of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in Riyadh on May 14.
The United States and Saudi Arabia are negotiating major defense contracts worth up to $100 billion after the White House ordered the State Department and the Pentagon to pursue significant deals, two sources familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Major business deals are also expected to be announced in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Trump could also visit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, the sources said.
While economic cooperation will be a major topic, Gulf officials say they want to see progress on the truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Ahead of the visit, special envoy Steve Witkoff briefed the United Nations Security Council on a new Israeli plan to resume humanitarian aid to Gaza — a plan approved by the Israeli government earlier this week and supported by Washington.
The talks in all three countries also touch on the US effort to reach a deal with Iran’s weakened government to curb its nuclear program. According to the sources, Witkoff will travel to Oman on Sunday for a fourth round of talks with Iranian officials, just before the tour itself.
Unlike his Middle East visit eight years ago, Trump will not stop in Israel this time. The decision comes at a time of increasing tensions between his administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although Netanyahu was the first world leader Trump received at the White House after taking office this year, relations between the two appear to be cooling. Asked why Trump was skipping Israel, one US official said curtly: “There’s no point — nothing would be achieved.”
Trump and his team continue to see formal relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia as the greatest diplomatic prize, but Saudi officials say Israel must first take serious steps toward creating an independent Palestinian state. With Netanyahu still refusing to do so, such a deal now appears far off.
Trump has largely abandoned his proposal to withdraw Palestinians from Gaza, an idea Netanyahu has vehemently supported, while Israel has resumed airstrikes. The US president’s focus now appears to be on talks with Iran. Trump’s decision last week to halt a two-month bombing campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis surprised Israel, and Netanyahu fears it could be a sign of the US’s future approach to nuclear talks with Tehran.
Yet, as relations with Israel have become increasingly strained, Arab countries are now showing more understanding for Trump’s push for a nuclear deal with Iran than they did under Barack Obama and his deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Their main complaint at the time was that Obama had not consulted them. Since then, however, the Gulf states have begun to build their own channels to ease tensions with Tehran.
“The sanctions are not working because Iran is selling gas on the black market through other countries,” said one White House ally. “People in the region are generally positive that Trump is at least trying to talk to the Iranians.”
