President Donald Trump posed an unexpected question to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)
Trump’s Big Bet in Riyadh: Jokes, Deals, and a New Vision for the Middle East
A Lighter Moment in a Serious Setting
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On May 13, 2025, President Donald Trump landed in Riyadh to begin his first international visit since starting his second term. And true to form, he wasted no time making headlines — not just with bold statements, but also with his signature humor.
Speaking at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, in front of a packed audience that included global business leaders like Elon Musk and Jensen Huang, Trump turned to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and asked with a grin, “Mohammed, how do you even sleep at night?” The room went silent for a beat. Then came the punchline: “He tosses and turns like the rest of us, thinking, ‘How do I make it better?’ It’s the people who sleep soundly who never lead anyone to greatness.”
MBS smiled and replied simply, “I try,” drawing laughter and applause from the room.
While the exchange may have seemed playful, it also underscored Trump’s way of mixing charm with power politics — skipping over past controversies and focusing instead on the future.
Bigger Than Just Talk: Business First
Trump didn’t waste time getting to what he does best — deals. At the heart of his trip was a massive economic package: Saudi Arabia pledged to invest $600 billion into U.S. industries like energy, AI, and infrastructure. Trump, never one to undersell, said it could grow to $1 trillion.
But the real headline-grabber was a $142 billion defense agreement — the biggest of its kind — to supply Saudi Arabia with American-made aircraft, missiles, radar systems, and more. Trump claimed the deals would create up to 2 million jobs back home, doubling down on his “America First” narrative while deepening ties with Riyadh.
He also signed a broader economic and strategic cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, covering energy, mining, and defense sectors. Details are still under wraps, but it clearly signals that both nations want to take the partnership to a new level.
Trump’s Middle East Reset: Less Preaching, More Partnerships
In what felt like a complete rewrite of traditional U.S. foreign policy, Trump made one thing clear: he’s not here to lecture. “Commerce, not chaos,” he said, should define the Middle East. He offered olive branches to countries like Syria and Lebanon, hinting at a new kind of diplomacy — one rooted in trade, not ideology.
He announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, and shared plans to meet the new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa — a figure with a controversial past. Still, some Democrats voiced cautious support, seeing it as a strategic way to sideline Iran and Russia’s influence.
On Iran, Trump struck a familiar tone: offering negotiation, but warning that if Tehran rejects the offer, he’ll move to halt their oil exports entirely.
In a surprising reveal, he took credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, reportedly by using trade deals as leverage. He also urged Saudi Arabia to officially join the Abraham Accords — a U.S.-brokered normalization agreement between Israel and several Arab states — hoping to draw more countries into the fold.
And while he offered a hopeful note for Gaza, saying its people deserve peace, he made it clear that the violence has to stop for any progress to happen. Meanwhile, he announced that the U.S. would cease military strikes on Yemen’s Houthis, citing over 1,100 attacks already carried out earlier this year.
Ignoring the Elephant in the Room
Notably missing from Trump’s address? Any reference to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record — or the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence linked directly to MBS.
Trump’s silence stood in sharp contrast to President Biden’s earlier position, when he had called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” — a stance he later softened amid rising oil prices. Where Biden gave MBS a cautious fist bump, Trump offered praise and partnership. “Saudi Arabia has proved the critics wrong,” he said, brushing off years of scrutiny.
Why This Visit Matters
For Saudi Arabia, Trump’s visit is more than symbolic — it secures a high-profile backer for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to modernize the country’s economy and reduce its oil dependency. Billions in deals and public support from a sitting U.S. president go a long way toward strengthening MBS’s international standing.
For Trump, it’s a chance to reassert U.S. influence in a region increasingly courted by China’s Belt and Road Initiative. He’s positioning the U.S. as a partner in progress — one that prefers boardrooms to battlefields.
But Is It All Too Good to Be True?
Despite the big numbers, some experts are skeptical. That $600 billion investment? It may include previously announced deals or vague promises. And cozying up to controversial figures like Syria’s new president could backfire if extremism rears its head again.
Critics argue that Trump’s deal-first approach might empower authoritarian regimes, especially since he’s already taken swipes at democratic allies like Germany while expressing concern for South Africa’s white minority population — moves that raise eyebrows in diplomatic circles.
Still, the former president is doubling down on his style of diplomacy: bold, unconventional, and unapologetically transactional.
Looking Ahead
Trump is set to attend the Gulf Summit, where he may meet Syria’s new leadership, and will continue on to Qatar — where, if reports are accurate, he’ll be gifted a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet worth around $400 million.
This visit to Riyadh was classic Trump: a mix of humor, spectacle, and headline-grabbing deals. Whether it marks the start of a more stable Middle East — or sets the stage for new complications — remains to be seen.
But one thing is certain: Donald Trump is back on the world stage, and he’s playing by his own rules.
