The day so far
Here is a summary of events so far and what’s coming up:
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Donald Trump is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he begins his four-day tour of the Middle East focusing on economic deals.
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He was greeted at the airport by the de facto ruler Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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Trump is expected to focus on economic deals. Trump has said he will ask for $1tn investment in the US.
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During the Riyadh stop, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100bn, sources told Reuters.
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Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk is also in Riyadh, where he is expected to speak at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
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Secretary of state and national security adviser Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are also on the trip.
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Trump is expected to address the Saudi-US Investment Forum later today – we’ll bring you all the key lines from that.
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He will later attend a state banquet in Riyadh.
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The tour will also see Trump visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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Trump has said he will not be travelling to Israel but suggested he may travel to Turkey on Thursday for potential face-to-face talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Trump has pushed back on criticism for accepting the gift of a $400m (£303m) plane from Qatar’s royal family to replace Air Force One. He claimed it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift. He has said it is “a very public and transparent transaction”.
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Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the president has spoken with the released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who was released yesterday after 19 months in captivity in Gaza.
Key events
As Trump touched down in Riyadh this morning for the first overseas tour of his second presidency, let’s recap because “already the pomp and circumstance are dialed up to the max”, writes Politico.
Having been escorted through the skies by six Saudi F-15s, Trump has now begun his formal state visit with a grand ceremony in the opulent surroundings of the Saudi Royal Court, with its 30-foot ceilings and polished marble floors.
Trump was greeted off Air Force One by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the two men will spend much of the day together — just as they did on Trump’s first overseas visit in 2017, when the president again eschewed America’s closest neighbors and oldest allies in favor of the Middle Eastern monarchs.
Trump loves this stuff — really loves it. White House aides say these grand regal ceremonies are a key part of the appeal of Middle Eastern trips, along with the chance to unveil some big-ticket investment deals. Trump loves the red carpet welcomes. He loves the state dinner toasts. He loves being with royalty. For him, it’s part of the point.
Don’t forget, this is a president who, rather than rejecting accusations that he wants to rule America as an all-powerful king, chose to lean right into them instead. And it’s not just about ignoring constitutional norms, but the trappings of regal power. Trump has installed gilded edging throughout his Oval Office. His next confirmed state visit is to Britain in September, following a handwritten invite from King Charles III — with all the royal baubles that implies. Trump will hope to fly there in his “palace in the sky.”
The day so far
Here is a summary of events so far and what’s coming up:
-
Donald Trump is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he begins his four-day tour of the Middle East focusing on economic deals.
-
He was greeted at the airport by the de facto ruler Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
-
Trump is expected to focus on economic deals. Trump has said he will ask for $1tn investment in the US.
-
During the Riyadh stop, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100bn, sources told Reuters.
-
Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk is also in Riyadh, where he is expected to speak at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
-
Secretary of state and national security adviser Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are also on the trip.
-
Trump is expected to address the Saudi-US Investment Forum later today – we’ll bring you all the key lines from that.
-
He will later attend a state banquet in Riyadh.
-
The tour will also see Trump visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
-
Trump has said he will not be travelling to Israel but suggested he may travel to Turkey on Thursday for potential face-to-face talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
-
Trump has pushed back on criticism for accepting the gift of a $400m (£303m) plane from Qatar’s royal family to replace Air Force One. He claimed it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift. He has said it is “a very public and transparent transaction”.
-
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the president has spoken with the released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who was released yesterday after 19 months in captivity in Gaza.
Trump envoys to travel to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine talks – report
Reuters is reporting that Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks taking place on Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the plan. I’ll bring more detail on that as soon as we get it.
Julia Kollewe
Taking a brief step away from Trump’s Middle East visit, here is some other US news.
The US has announced it is cutting the tariff on small parcels sent from China and Hong Kong to the US from 120% to 54%, hours after Washington and Beijing agreed a 90-day pause in their trade war.
Donald Trump signed an executive order more than halving the levy, which was brought in at the start of this month to close the “de minimis” loophole allowing low-value goods to be sent to the US without paying any import fees.
The exemption – taken from the Latin phrase for “of little importance” – had meant items sent from abroad via post valued at up to $800 were able to enter the US duty-free and with minimal inspections. It fuelled the rise of fast fashion companies sending goods from China such as Shein and Temu.
Read the full report here:
Trump has spoken to released US-Israeli hostage, US Middle East envoy says
In other US news, Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the president has spoken to the released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.
In a post on X, Witkoff wrote:
I was honored to meet Edan Alexander today and welcome him home. After months in captivity, the world is inspired by his courage and resilience. His return gives hope to so many. We also had the opportunity to speak with @POTUS, whose leadership made this possible. We remain committed to bringing every last hostage home.
Sam Altman and Elon Musk accompany Trump in Saudi Arabia
We have more images coming to us from the Royal Court’s ceremonial blue room, where business leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, were in attendance.
Here is a quick look at President Trump’s schedule today.
He is expected to have lunch with CEOs. There will then be bilateral meetings and agreement signings, the BBC reports.
Trump is also scheduled to give an address at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
Later, he will attend a state dinner in Riyadh.
Here are some images coming to us over the wires.
President Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Elon Musk were seen chatting briefly during the reception in Riyadh, Reuters reports.
Footage shows President Trump speaking with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the ceremonial blue room, where he is meeting and greeting officials.
President Trump has just arrived at the Royal Court in Riyadh.
US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE expected to announce major investments
More on what we could expect from Trump’s tour of the Middle East.
The US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are expected to announce investments that could run into the trillions, Reuters reports.
Saudi Arabia already committed in January to $600bn in investments in the US over the next four years, but Trump has said he will ask for a full trillion.
Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth more than $100bn, sources told Reuters.
Reuters has been reporting from the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh.
It said the event began with a video showing soaring eagles and falcons, celebrating the long history between the United States and the kingdom.
Larry Fink, the CEO of Blackrock, Stephen A Schwartzman, CEO of Blackstone, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, and Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan and Khalid were all present.
Speaking at a forum panel, Fink said he had visited Saudi Arabia more than 65 times over 20 years. He said the kingdom had been a follower when he first started visiting but was now “taking control” and broadening its economy out of its oil base.
‘Just wildly illegal’: top Democrats push to censure Trump’s plan to accept Qatar jet
Ed Pilkington
Top Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump’s reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump’s personal presidential library.
Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorised to do so by Congress.
Cory Booker from New Jersey, Brian Schatz from Hawaii, Chris Coons from Delaware and Chris Murphy from Connecticut cast the reported gift of the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a clear conflict of interest and a serious threat to national security.
“Air Force Once is more than just a plane – it’s a symbol of the presidency and of the United States itself,” the senators said in a joint statement. “No one should use public service for personal gain through foreign gifts.”
News of a possible gift of the luxury jet prompted immediate scathing criticism from senior Democrats. Though the Qatari government has stressed that no final decision has yet been made, Trump appeared to confirm it on Sunday when he commented on social media that the transfer was being made “in a very public and transparent transaction”.
Read the full report here:
Rubio joins Trump in meeting Saudi crown prince
President Trump was joined by US secretary of state Marco Rubio at the meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
US President Donald Trump is also expected to be feted by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with a formal dinner and a gathering of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, later on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
President Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a coffee ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Trump arrives in Riyadh for four-day Gulf tour focused on economic deals
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia to kick off a four-day tour through the Gulf region, focusing on economic deals rather than the security crises ranging from war in Gaza to the threat of escalation over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk, as well as business leaders including BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser are travelling with the president.
Secretary of state and national security adviser Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are also among those on the trip.
Trump will first visit Riyadh, site of a Saudi-US Investment Forum, heading to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
During the Riyadh stop, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, sources told Reuters, which could include a range of advanced weapons, including C-130 transport aircraft.
In other developments:
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Trump has pushed back on criticism for accepting the gift of a $400m (£303m) plane from Qatar’s royal family to replace Air Force One. He claimed it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift. He has said it is “a very public and transparent transaction”.
