Trump Arrives in Saudi Arabia, Launches Bold Gulf Tour Amid Tensions

Trump Arrives in Saudi Arabia, Launches Bold Gulf Tour Amid Tensions

By Naira Manzoor

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday, stepping off Air Force One into a full ceremonial welcome that signaled just how much Saudi Arabia values this visit. This marks Trump’s first major trip abroad in his second term and it’s clear he wants to make a big impression. With wars, shifting alliances, and rising public anger across the region, the stakes for this Gulf tour couldn’t be higher.

Trump’s schedule is packed with billion-dollar deals and high-level meetings. Saudi officials say more than $300 billion worth of investment and defense agreements are on the table, much of it centered around American-made weapons, cybersecurity systems, and military training. Trump, never shy about pitching business as diplomacy, called the deals a “win for American workers and a shield for our friends in the region.” Saudi Arabia, eager to modernize and secure itself, is all in.

But the backdrop is tense. The war in Gaza is raging, and across the Arab world, people are furious. Protests have filled the streets in major cities demanding an end to U.S. support for Israel’s offensive. Trump’s legacy in the region especially his close relationship with Israel and the embassy move to Jerusalem during his first term makes this visit even more sensitive. According to officials close to the talks, Gaza was front and center in Trump’s private meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though no public breakthroughs were announced.

Still, Trump used his platform in Riyadh to make a bold move. In a nationally broadcast speech, he announced, “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.” The statement drew a mix of surprise and cautious praise from Gulf leaders. For some, it felt like a new opening. For others, a gamble. But it’s classic Trump – dramatic, headline-grabbing, and sure to stir debate on both sides of the aisle back home.

After Riyadh, Trump heads to Doha, Qatar – a small but powerful Gulf country that’s become a key player in regional diplomacy. Qatar has hosted indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel and remains one of the few nations able to talk to all sides. Trump’s stop there is expected to focus on energy cooperation, especially natural gas, and on possible ways to calm tensions in Gaza. But regional experts say expectations should be kept in check – trust in U.S. intentions is fragile right now.

The final leg of the trip will take him to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has long positioned itself as a modern, tech-driven power in the Gulf and was one of the first countries to normalize relations with Israel under Trump’s Abraham Accords. But things have changed. The war in Gaza has made public opinion more volatile, and even Pro-Western governments are under pressure to show more independence. Trump is expected to talk business – trade, innovation, defense but he’ll be walking a tightrope.

For Trump, this tour is more than diplomacy. It’s a comeback moment and a chance to project power, influence, and control in a region that helped define his first term. But the Middle East he’s returned to is different. It’s angrier. It’s more divided. And it’s less willing to accept simple deals in place of real change. Whether Trump reads the room or charges ahead as usual will determine how this visit is remembered: as a turning point, or just more noise.