The president, who will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is making the first major international trip of his second term. He has told advisers that he wants to sign deals worth more than $1 trillion.
Saudi Arabia gave President Trump a lavish welcome on Tuesday, rolling out an honor guard, a team of Arabian horses and a delegation of royals and business leaders to kick off the president’s four-day tour through the Gulf, the first major overseas trip of his second term.
Mr. Trump stepped off Air Force One at the Royal Terminal, a special section for V.I.P.s at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, greeted him on a lavender carpet before the two men sat down in navy-and-gold armchairs in an opulent, sunlit building with marble columns.
Mr. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among other top members of his administration. Some of America’s biggest business leaders were also on hand to attend an investment forum hosted by the Saudi government where Mr. Trump was due to speak, including Elon Musk and the chief executives of IBM, BlackRock, Citigroup, Palantir and Nvidia, among others.
The trip includes stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and Mr. Trump will be focused on signing business deals with the three countries. He has told advisers he wants to sign agreements worth more than $1 trillion. Deals are expected to include investments in artificial intelligence companies and energy production, as well as multibillion-dollar arms purchases from U.S. weapons manufacturers.
Prince Mohammed’s presence signified the special status that Mr. Trump enjoys with Saudi Arabia, where he has cultivated both diplomatic and business relationships. When President Biden visited in 2022 — he had vowed to make the kingdom a “pariah,” before realizing he needed its help to lower oil prices — the crown prince snubbed him, sending a relatively low-ranked delegation to greet him at the airport.
Here’s what else to know:
- Family interests: The president’s trip neatly tracks with the financial interests of his family, which has pending deals with a majority-Saudi-owned real estate firm, a cryptocurrency deal with an affiliate of the government of the United Arab Emirates, and a new golf and luxury villa project backed by the government of Qatar.
- Qatari gift: The Trump administration is also poised to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane as a donation from Qatar’s royal family in what could be the biggest foreign gift ever received by the U.S. government. Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, is expected to announce on Tuesday that he intends to put a hold on Mr. Trump’s appointees to the Justice Department until he gets more information about the president’s plans to accept the jet.
- Ukraine talks: Mr. Trump has said that he would consider joining a potential meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in this week in Turkey to discuss a peace deal. His presence would raise the stakes as Moscow defies European leaders’ calls for a cease-fire.
- Oil and an orb: Past visits by U.S. presidents to Saudi Arabia have produced some memorable — and odd — moments.