Trump Tours Abu Dhabi Mosque, Dines with UAE Leader/ Newslooks/ WASAHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump concluded his Middle East trip in the UAE, visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and attending a state dinner with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. His visit coincides with ongoing regional diplomacy, Gaza violence, and Ukraine-Russia peace talks. Trump also reiterated his controversial “freedom zone” proposal for Gaza.
Trump Attends State Dinner at UAE Presidential Palace: Quick Looks
- Trump visited the UAE Thursday, the final stop on his Mideast diplomatic tour.
- He toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, barefoot as tradition dictates, alongside Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid.
- Later, Trump will attend a state dinner at Qasr Al Watan, the ornate presidential palace in Abu Dhabi.
- UAE welcomed Trump with a fighter jet escort, a gesture also shown by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
- Gaza crisis escalates as 54 killed in overnight airstrikes on Khan Younis.
- Zelenskyy to send delegation to Istanbul for peace talks with Russia amid skepticism over their effectiveness.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio met European leaders on Russia-Ukraine negotiations, urging unified action.
- Rubio also met Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers, following Trump’s meeting with Syria’s president.
- A House bill proposes tracking advanced AI chips, amid fears of Chinese diversion and rising global tech rivalry.
- VP JD Vance to attend inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV in Rome on Sunday.
Trump Tours Abu Dhabi Mosque, Dines with UAE Leader
Deep Look
President Donald Trump’s high-profile Middle East diplomatic tour concluded Thursday with a symbolic and strategic stop in the United Arab Emirates. Touching down in Abu Dhabi aboard Air Force One—escorted by Emirati fighter jets—Trump was received with ceremonial grandeur by President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The highlight of his UAE visit was a personal tour of the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world. Accompanied by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Trump removed his shoes in line with Islamic custom and paused for photos in the expansive white marble corridors of the sacred site. The mosque also serves as the burial place of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed.
“It’s beautiful,” Trump said during his tour, thanking his guides and expressing admiration for the architectural marvel.
Later in the evening, Trump is set to attend a state dinner at Qasr Al Watan, the UAE’s opulent presidential palace. This symbolic dinner marks the final diplomatic engagement of his multi-nation tour, which included stops in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he also received military escorts.
While Trump celebrated a warm reception in Abu Dhabi, the rest of the Middle East remained tense. In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, violence intensified. A hospital in Khan Younis reported that at least 54 people were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes. The president declined to directly address Israel’s role in ongoing peace efforts, instead reiterating his controversial vision for the region: transforming Gaza into a “freedom zone.”
“I’d be proud to have the United States take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen,” Trump told reporters, sidestepping questions about Israeli obstruction in the peace process.
In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced plans to send Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to Istanbul for renewed peace talks with Russia. Zelenskyy acknowledged skepticism about the talks’ effectiveness but said the move was designed to show the Trump administration Ukraine’s commitment to peace, even if Russia’s negotiators lack real decision-making power.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling with Trump, also played a central role in the region’s evolving diplomatic narrative. Rubio held a series of meetings on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Antalya, Turkey, briefing European allies—including Britain, France, Germany, and Italy—on the U.S. push for peace between Ukraine and Russia.
“The Secretary emphasized the need for European leadership in securing a swift, credible peace,” the State Department said in a statement, highlighting Rubio’s calls for unity as the conflict drags into its third year.
Rubio also participated in a closed-door trilateral meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fiden. The rare encounter, which also included Sen. Lindsey Graham, centered on Syria’s potential reintegration into the regional and global diplomatic fold. The meeting followed Trump’s earlier engagement with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his promise to lift sanctions against the Assad-led government.
Meanwhile, domestic policy followed Trump abroad. In Washington, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill requiring advanced computer chips subject to export controls be tracked. The bill comes in response to concerns that U.S.-developed AI chips may be making their way into Chinese hands despite prior restrictions.
“This bipartisan bill closes those gaps with real safeguards to keep our most advanced chips out of the wrong hands,” said Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican leading the House Select Committee on China.
Illinois Democrat Rep. Bill Foster, a co-sponsor, emphasized that the technology exists to enforce tighter oversight. “This isn’t science fiction,” he said. “We can secure our supply chain.”
Finally, Vice President JD Vance is set to travel to Rome this weekend to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV. Vance, a Catholic convert, will lead the U.S. delegation, joined by his wife Usha, Secretary of State Rubio, and Rubio’s wife Jeanette. The mass follows the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
As Trump’s foreign tour winds down, it underscores his administration’s approach: high-visibility diplomacy, controversial proposals like the Gaza “freedom zone,” and parallel power plays in Ukraine, Syria, and China-related tech policy. His UAE stop, while ceremonial, capped a tour that touched nearly every major geopolitical fault line currently shaping global affairs.
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