The Winners of Trump’s Middle East Tour: Trump, MBS, and al-Sharaa
While hailed as a triumph for Trump and Gulf leaders, the trip drew mixed reactions from across the region over its narrow focus on economic ties
On Friday, President Donald Trump wraps up his three-day visit to the Middle East, during which he visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. He will return to the United States with contracts and investments in the US worth more than $3 trillion.
It seems that this trip was a triumph for President Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Other leaders in the region may be less enthused by the events of the visit.
Unlike at the July 2022 Jeddah Security and Development Summit, with the Gulf states, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and former US President Joe Biden in attendance, no meetings were held on the sidelines of this trip’s summit. Other than the leaders of the Gulf countries, the only other leader to meet with Trump was Syrian President al-Sharaa.
While in Saudi Arabia, President Trump signed agreements worth more than $600 billion, according to official announcements. This included the largest arms deal in history between the US and Saudi Arabia, worth $142 billion, with a promise from Crown Prince Mohammed that these investments would eventually reach $1 trillion.
The deals in Saudi Arabia focused on defense, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, equipment and chip purchases, and other economic sectors.
In Qatar, the president signed agreements to promote economic exchange between the two countries worth at least $1.2 trillion, with economic deals totaling more than $243 billion, including a historic deal to sell 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft, as well as other deals in the fields of artificial intelligence and energy.
On Thursday evening, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed during his meeting with President Trump that the UAE will invest a total of $1.4 trillion in the US over the next 10 years.
The US agreed to increase the number of AI chips sold to the UAE fivefold. The export of AI chips is currently limited, and their increased presence in the UAE will allow the country to further benefit from the burgeoning technology.
Additionally, the American and Emirati presidents unveiled the first phase of a new artificial intelligence campus designed for next-generation defense and security technologies. The facility is expected to help major US tech firms expand their global reach, potentially connecting with nearly half the world’s population.
Mutab Al-Awad, a Saudi journalist who was present during President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, described the visit to The Media Line as “perhaps the most successful American summit to take place in the Middle East in a long time.”
Former Gulf diplomat Ahmed Al-Ibrahim similarly said that the Gulf-US summit was a success for all involved.
The Gulf states signed major economic agreements with the US, which are beneficial to both parties. Investing in the US is very successful, and the Gulf states trust the US economy and can generate good returns. President Trump secured these agreements, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and stimulate the US economy and stock market.
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“The Gulf states signed major economic agreements with the US, which are beneficial to both parties. Investing in the US is very successful, and the Gulf states trust the US economy and can generate good returns. President Trump secured these agreements, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and stimulate the US economy and stock market,” he told The Media Line.
Not all agree that the president’s trip to the region was a success. Alaa Al-Zoubi, a Jordanian journalist, told The Media Line that the trip “didn’t produce anything.” “It seems there were many disagreements, and this summit, which happened quickly, was on the sidelines of President Trump’s economic visit to the Gulf,” he said.
Mustafa Abdul Salam, an Egyptian political analyst, told The Media Line that the sharp increase in US investments from those pledged during President Trump’s first term—trillions of dollars as opposed to $400 billion—shows how keen the Gulf states are in building their international influence.
All these trillions were signed for investment in America. Perhaps the Arab world would have been more deserving of them, but the Arab world will not give them the influence they desire.
“All these trillions were signed for investment in America. Perhaps the Arab world would have been more deserving of them, but the Arab world will not give them the influence they desire,” he said.
President Trump gave Crown Prince Mohammed the support and exposure he needed, praising him profusely during a speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum and on several other occasions. He described the crown prince as intelligent and praised the significant changes that have taken place since he assumed his current position.
Abdul Salam explained that Crown Prince Mohammed is seeking to strengthen his position before he officially becomes king. His father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the world’s oldest living monarch at age 89.
“The Saudi crown prince got what he wanted,” Abdul Salam said. “President Trump supported him with all his might, both internally in Saudi Arabia, where there are many who oppose his policies or seek to seize power, and externally in the Arab world and the West.”
The greatest boost President Trump gave Crown Prince Mohammed was lifting all sanctions on Syria in response to his request, thereby increasing Saudi Arabia’s standing among Arabs and giving others the perception of the crown prince’s potential to influence US policy.
The crown prince’s spontaneous gesture during the Saudi-US forum, in which he folded both hands on his chest to express his gratitude to President Trump for announcing the lifting of sanctions on Syria, was widely circulated among the Arab populace. The Saudi crown prince is now considered a hero deserving of praise for his ability to save Syria.
“It clearly demonstrates the significant Saudi role in liberating and supporting the Syrian people, and it is a Saudi commitment to Arab issues,” Al-Ibrahim, the former Gulf diplomat, said.
It wouldn’t have happened without President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s invitation to President Trump to invest in Syria’s energy sector, which implies American control over the oil there, and that’s why the sanctions were lifted.
Al-Zoubi, the Jordanian journalist, cautioned against reading too much into the lifting of sanctions on Syria. “It wouldn’t have happened without President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s invitation to President Trump to invest in Syria’s energy sector, which implies American control over the oil there, and that’s why the sanctions were lifted,” he said.
President Trump also met in person with al-Sharaa, an explicit recognition of the new Syrian leader’s legitimacy despite his past affiliation with extremist groups. He praised the new Syrian president, describing him as having “a strong past.”
“I think he’ll be a great representative, and we’ll see,” the US president said.
One issue that remained notably peripheral during President Trump’s visit to the Middle East was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As Omani political analyst Abdullah Al-Adawi told The Media Line, the goal of the visit was “clearly economic.”
But some analysts are hopeful that these economic ties might lead to an eventual breakthrough in the conflict.
“We may witness a consensus in the near future, as all viewpoints and facts have become completely clear,” Al-Ibrahim said.
Even President Trump’s announcement that Saudi Arabia will normalize relations with Israel at the appropriate time is an indirect indication that he understands Saudi Arabia’s view that there will be no implementation before the establishment of a Palestinian state and the full resolution of the issue.
He said that the US may now be inclined to propose more suitable solutions to the conflict. “Even President Trump’s announcement that Saudi Arabia will normalize relations with Israel at the appropriate time is an indirect indication that he understands Saudi Arabia’s view that there will be no implementation before the establishment of a Palestinian state and the full resolution of the issue,” he said.
Naif Hamdan, a media professional who was in Riyadh during President Trump’s visit, told The Media Line that he and his colleagues were expecting more discussion of Gaza during the summit. “What was announced were the general guidelines that everyone has agreed upon for a long time: the need to establish peace, stop the war, and release the hostages,” he said.
He noted that Middle Easterners view Trump as the American president most in line with Middle Eastern voices. “We know this well, and we have witnessed it,” he said. “President Trump will not make any decision without the agreement of the Middle Eastern countries, even regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
