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Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The U.S. delegation at lunch with Trump at the Saudi Royal Court today includes Scale AI CEO Alex Wang, Kimbal Musk, a businessman and the brother of Trump adviser Elon Musk, Stellantis chair John Elkann, and Smithsonian directors Chase Robinson and Brandie Smith, among others.
Members of Trump’s Cabinet, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other members of his senior staff will also be in attendance.
Executives from Palantir, Uber, Amazon, and Google are also in the delegation.
Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Later today, Trump will deliver remarks at an investment forum attended by business executives, policymakers, and members of his administration.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are expected to speak, along with Elon Musk, a billionaire adviser to Trump and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and former PayPal executive David Sacks, whom Trump appointed as his AI and cryptocurrency czar in the White House.
Business executives, including Blackstone CEO and Trump donor Stephen Schwarzman, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, and Cristiano Amon, the U.S. president of chipmaker Qualcomm, are also on the schedule for the forum.
Congressional Democrats are denouncing Trump’s plan to accept a luxury jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One, with the president arguing it would be “stupid” to turn down the offer.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, called the gift “a blatant conflict of interest” and said it “undermines the integrity of American leadership.”
“The President would also be in clear violation of the Emoluments Clause, a provision in the U.S. Constitution that prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts or financial benefits from any foreign state without the consent of Congress,” Reed said in a statement.
Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio compared the situation to earlier GOP criticism of Hillary Clinton, saying, “the appearance of corruption alone screams, ‘Bad idea!’ My views have not changed.”
Senate Democrats plan to try and force a vote this week on a resolution that would condemn the gift.
“There should be 100 of us that agree on this fundamental principle, no president should take free stuff from a foreign government, and certainly nothing worth $400 million,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said.
Trump yesterday called the gift “a nice gesture.”
“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was, I thought it was a great gesture,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He went on to say that countries like Qatar “probably wouldn’t exist right now” if it wasn’t for the U.S. “And I think this was just a gesture of good faith,” he added.
Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15 fighter jets escorted Air Force One as it approached the Saudi capital moments ago.
At least five fighter jets came flanking of the AF1’s wings, three on the right side, two on the left side, just as the plane approached for landing.
“On behalf of President Trump, THANK YOU!” Dan Scavino, Assistant to Trump and the White House Deputy Chief of Staff posted on X with a video from the flight.
Trump landed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, shortly before 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET), beginning his visit to the kingdom and the first planned trip of his second term.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeted Trump and escorted him to a coffee ceremony.
This is the second time Trump has chosen Saudi Arabia for his first planned overseas trip as U.S. president, and bin Salman was also the first foreign leader to hold a call with Trump this term.
Trump will later travel to the Royal Court for an arrival ceremony with bin Salman, an introduction of the delegations, a coffee service in the ceremonial blue room, a lunch with business leaders, bilateral meetings and an agreement signing.
The four-day Middle East trip will also take Trump to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In Trump’s vision, he’s set to usher in an American “golden age” in which the nation makes more of the world’s goods and sells more of its products.
But when it comes to the president’s personal travel, he’s ready to ditch the old 747 known as Air Force One in favor of a luxe jet that the royal family of Qatar, a tiny yet rich Arab country nearly 7,000 miles away, wants to gift to the U.S.
The image of the ‘America First’ president floating above the clouds in Qatari splendor doesn’t sit well with some of the MAGA faithful, much less the good government groups who warn the deal may run afoul of the constitutional clause that bars gifts from foreign nations absent congressional approval.
“That’s a pretty strange offer,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. said.
Read the full story here.
Trump will return to familiar ground in Saudi Arabia next week, choosing the kingdom as the destination for his first major foreign trip of his second term, just as he did in 2017 — once again bypassing the traditional allies who have usually hosted presidents.
The decision underscores a broader Trump White House strategy, prioritizing the Middle East’s economic and strategic influence over North America’s deep-rooted trade and security ties.
With an eye on blockbuster deals, a Nobel-worthy diplomatic breakthrough and the Middle East’s role as a geopolitical fulcrum, Trump is chasing defining moments in a region that he has treated as a diplomatic and economic cornerstone. Meanwhile, his unpredictable tariffs and diplomatic approach has cast a shadow over partnerships with Canada and Mexico.
Read the full story here.
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Trump administration live updates: Trump travels to Saudi Arabia to kick off first major foreign trip – NBC News
