WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump may visit Saudi Arabia as soon as next month, he told reporters at the White House on Monday, in what could be his first overseas trip since his return to power.
“It could be next month, maybe a little bit later. And we’re going to Qatar, also, and also we’re going to possibly a couple of other countries. UAE is very important … so we’ll probably stop at UAE and Qatar,“ the Republican said.
He said Saudi officials had agreed to “spend close to a trillion dollars … in our American companies, which to me means jobs.”
The US companies will be making equipment for Saudi Arabia and other places in the Middle East, the president continued, adding: “And for that, I think it’s worth it.”
In January, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments.
Saudi press reports at the time did not give details of the source of the funds, which represent more than half of Saudi GDP, or how they are expected to be used.
Trump’s first visit as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia.
He forged close relations with Riyadh in his first term and is expected to push Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest sites, towards normalizing ties with Israel as a major foreign policy objective.
On Monday, Trump said he has a “very good relationship with the Middle East.”
