TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump when he arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday morning, May 13, 2025, local time. Trump kickstarted his three-day Gulf tour in Saudi Arabia before heading to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
"We like each other a lot," Trump said during his meeting with the Saudi crown prince, as quoted from Al Jazeera.
Trump stated that they would discuss about "two million jobs" in the U.S. "Number one, I like visiting with you and we’ve known each other very well, and I really believe we like each other a lot," he told MBS.
Secondly, Trump said that the U.S. had received tremendous investments and job opportunities from Saudi Arabia. "We will continue to serve your great country very well," said Trump.
As reported by Al Arabiya, Trump was accompanied by a number of business moguls from the State, including Tesla CEO and the president's advisor Elon Musk.
He will continue his journey to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Trump also said he might travel to Turkey on Thursday. His agenda would involve face-to-face discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
U.S. and Iran's negotiators met over the weekend in Oman to discuss the possibility of a deal to restrain Iran's nuclear program. Trump threatened to take military action against Iran if diplomacy failed.
Trump's main agenda in the Middle East is all business, with the U.S. expected to announce trillions of dollars' worth of potential investments from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Saudi Arabia committed in January to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. However, Trump made a counteroffer. He said he had asked for Saudi investments up to one trillion dollars.
In addition to Musk, business leaders including CEO of BlackRock Larry Fink and CEO of Citigroup Jane Fraser also make the trip. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will also be accompanying Trump.
During his visit to Riyadh, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth more than $100 billion, which may include a number of advanced weapons such as C-130 transport aircraft.
Eric Trump, the son of the U.S. president and serving as the vice president of the Trump Organization, has spoken to the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat about his father's trip to the Gulf. He said Trump had clearly conveyed the message that the region is a key partner in global security.
Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE and Qatar, are locations where the Trump Organization is developing major real estate projects. These projects include high-rise towers in Jeddah, luxury hotels in Dubai, and golf course complexes and villas in Qatar.
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