WASHINGTON (AP) — The fist bump seems so long ago.
Three years after Joe Biden’s cursory greeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Donald Trump luxuriated in an extravagant royal welcome as he arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Concerns about human rights and fossil fuels in the oil-rich autocracy were nowhere on the agenda. Instead the day was all about cutting deals and celebrating a personal relationship that has endured through scandal and political turmoil.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said as they sat on golden chairs under elaborate chandeliers in the royal palace. During a speech later in the day, the president described Prince Mohammed as an “incredible man" and “my friend.”
The feeling was clearly mutual. The crown prince addressed his guest as “my dear President Trump," and the Saudis played his campaign anthems — “God Bless the U.S.A.” and “ YMCA ” — during his appearance at an investment forum.
For the U.S. Republican president, the visit was a return to the international stage after his comeback election victory (Exactly one year ago, he was on trial in a hush money case and listening to his former lawyer testify against him in a New York City courtroom.)
Although Trump recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, Saudi Arabia was originally intended to be his initial overseas destination, just like in his first term. It served as a gilded debut for a foreign policy focused on securing cash infusions for American businesses.
Trump pumped his fist as he stepped out of Air Force One, then descended the stairs to shake hands with Prince Mohammed, who greeted his guest on the tarmac in a rare display of respect.
The crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, has been eager to rehabilitate his global image after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence officials accused him of ordering. He’s also seeking an economic revival for the kingdom to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, and the occasion was an opportunity to demonstrate that the floodgates for investment were open again.
The guest list for an elaborate luncheon was stuffed with corporate executives, including Ruth Porat of Google, Stephen Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group, Jane Fraser of Citicorp, Alex Karp of Palantir and Jensen Huang of NVIDIA. Also attending was Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a top adviser to Trump.
As Air Force One approached Riyadh, Saudi pilots in six American-made F-15 fighter jets escorted the plane. After a traditional coffee ceremony inside the royal terminal at the airport, Trump's limousine was flanked by riders on white Arabian horses carrying American and Saudi flags. A honor guard was lined up with golden swords.
(Missing from the visit was the orb, a glowing sphere a little bigger than a bowling ball that Trump memorably posed for photos with during his trip to Riyadh in his first term.)
Trump has downplayed traditional American alliances in Europe, and often expressed exasperation with the country's trading and defense partners. But there was no such hesitation in Riyadh, and he said the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia “has been a bedrock of security and prosperity,”
Biden received little of the same pomp when he visited three years ago. He had previously criticized Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” but decided to travel to the kingdom anyway in an implicit acknowledgement that it was too influential of a global player to ignore.
The crown prince greeted the Democratic president at the palace, which is where the two leaders exchanged their fist bump. Their only other joint public appearance was all business, as they sat across from each other at a large conference table, flanked by top advisers.
Later that year, OPEC+ announced it would reduce oil production in a blow to Biden, whose political fortunes were being battered by inflation. The Democratic president acknowledged that it was “a disappointment, and it says that there are problems” in the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
But there was no such friction during Trump's visit. In his speech, the president flattered Saudi Arabia for its economic development and suggested that foreign leaders shouldn't be "giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs.”
"You achieved a modern miracle the Arabian way," Trump said.
Prince Mohammed, sitting in the audience, placed his right hand on his heart and beamed.
Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
