Opulence and Business Deals: Trump’s Gulf Trip Takeaways/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump wrapped his Middle East tour with billions in business deals, recognition of Syria’s new government, and renewed nuclear pressure on Iran. While securing flashy wins in AI, aviation, and energy, he downplayed human rights and sidestepped conflict zones like Gaza. Ethics concerns followed Trump throughout, including a $400M Qatari jet.
Trump Ends Mideast Tour with Deals, Diplomacy and a $400M Jet: Quick Looks
- Trump toured Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE, prioritizing economic partnerships over human rights messaging.
- UAE will invest $440B in U.S. energy, and purchase advanced AI semiconductors from U.S. firms.
- Qatar signed a $96B Boeing deal, the largest widebody jet order in aviation history.
- Trump accepted a $400M luxury plane from Qatar, stirring conflict-of-interest concerns.
- Trump recognized Syria’s interim leader, lifting sanctions in a major U.S. policy shift.
- He pledged to meet Putin soon, after the Russian leader skipped Ukraine peace talks in Turkey.
- Trump acknowledged “people are starving” in Gaza, while promoting a rejected “freedom zone” plan.
- Critics blasted Trump’s silence on Gulf human rights, calling it “absolute support for absolute monarchy.”
- Trump exaggerated deal values, claiming trillions in investments beyond Gulf GDPs.
- Ethics questions remain over Trump-branded business ventures across the Middle East.
Opulence and Business Deals: Trump’s Gulf Trip Takeaways
Deep Look
President Donald Trump’s return to the world stage was marked by extravagant pageantry, high-stakes business deals, and controversial diplomatic choices during his four-day Middle East tour through Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. His second-term debut abroad laid bare the transactional approach that defines his foreign policy — one focused on economic leverage, personal diplomacy, and limited regard for traditional U.S. values like human rights.
Deals Over Democracy
Trump’s tour avoided the typical U.S. presidential pressure on autocratic governments to improve their human rights records. Instead, he praised Gulf monarchs and their economic might. Touring palaces he called “perfecto” and “hard to buy,” Trump reserved criticism for Air Force One, not authoritarian regimes.
At a business forum in Riyadh, he distanced himself from past administrations. “They came in beautiful planes, giving you lectures,” he said, signaling to regional leaders that his administration would not meddle in domestic policies — a move rights advocates called a green light for repression.
Record-Setting Deals
The trip secured historic economic agreements, including a $96 billion Boeing order from Qatar for widebody 787 and 777X jets, which Trump dubbed “the biggest aviation deal ever.”
The UAE committed to boosting its U.S. energy investments to $440 billion by 2035 and signed a semiconductor deal to buy advanced U.S. AI chips — a win for Abu Dhabi’s tech ambitions and a sign of closer U.S.-UAE tech alignment despite Chinese competition.
Etihad Airways also pledged $14.5 billion for 28 Boeing planes, rounding out a package of deals Trump claimed totaled into the trillions. In reality, much of that investment will materialize slowly, if at all — with experts skeptical of Trump’s math.
Putin’s Absence, Peace Elusive
While in the Gulf, Trump attempted to catalyze progress on the Russia-Ukraine war, urging President Vladimir Putin to meet with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Putin skipped talks in Turkey, frustrating Trump’s efforts.
“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen until he and I get together,” Trump said, vowing to arrange a summit “as soon as we can set it up.”
Gaza and Humanitarian Gaps
Amid escalating Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Trump offered minimal comment, only briefly acknowledging that “a lot of people are starving.” He revived his controversial “freedom zone” proposal, suggesting relocating civilians to rebuild the war-torn area — an idea widely rejected across the Arab world.
His commentary was noticeably vague on the humanitarian crisis, save for a general promise: “We’ve got to get that taken care of.”
Syria Shift
Perhaps the biggest diplomatic pivot came with Trump’s recognition of Syria’s new interim government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. Despite prior U.S. opposition and concerns over Sharaa’s Islamist roots, Trump lifted sanctions and praised the young leader as “very attractive” with a “strong past.”
The decision, Trump said, followed personal appeals from Turkey’s President Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who argued the move was Syria’s only path to stability.
Ethics and Optics
Trump’s time in the Gulf wasn’t without controversy. He accepted a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar to serve as a replacement for Air Force One, prompting renewed concerns about conflicts of interest. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE?” Trump posted online.
Further scrutiny followed reports that a UAE state-backed investment firm used a Trump-affiliated stablecoin in a $2 billion cryptocurrency deal — one the president claimed to know “nothing about.”
With a trail of Trump-branded hotels, golf courses, and licensing deals scattered across the region, critics raised alarms about the blurring of business and statecraft. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns as “frankly ridiculous.”
You must Register or Login to post a comment.