Trump's Middle East Trip
A recent diplomatic and business visit by President Trump to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, resulting in the announcement of nearly $2 trillion in deals and investments, fundamentally shifting US policy in the region.
entitydetail.created_at
7/20/2025, 12:00:06 AM
entitydetail.last_updated
7/22/2025, 4:34:11 AM
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7/20/2025, 12:11:13 AM
Summary
Donald Trump's Middle East Trip, from May 13 to 16, 2025, marked his first major international journey of his second term as the 47th U.S. President. The four-day tour, which included visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, was characterized as a historic strategic pivot. Accompanied by a Republican delegation and business leaders like Elon Musk, the trip primarily aimed to secure substantial business deals and investments in the U.S., with potential figures reaching $4 trillion, and to lift sanctions on Syria's transitional government. Nearly $2 trillion in investments were announced from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, involving major companies such as Boeing and tech ventures like Grock, Chamath Palihapitiya's AI company. This new foreign policy doctrine, termed 'Commerce above chaos,' was analyzed as a form of Foreign Policy Realism, designed to counter China's growing influence by forging a strong economic bloc in the Middle East and fostering collaboration in technologies like AI and Starlink. Discussions also included the potential expansion of the Abraham Accords, though concerns were raised regarding the U.S. relationship with Qatar due to its support for Hamas.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Duration
4 days
End Date
2025-05-16
President
Donald Trump
Event Type
International Trip
Start Date
2025-05-13
Primary Goal
Secure business deals and investments in the United States
Strategic Aim
Counter China's influence by forming a strong economic bloc in the Middle East
Secondary Goal
Lift sanctions on Syria's transitional government
Presidential Term
Second term
Announced Investments
Nearly $2 trillion from Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Foreign Policy Doctrine
'Commerce above chaos' (Foreign Policy Realism)
Investment Target (Claimed)
$4 trillion
Notable Exclusion from Itinerary
Israel
Key Technologies for Collaboration
AI, Starlink
Timeline
- Donald Trump begins his first major international trip of his second term, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. (Source: Wikipedia)
2025-05-13
- Nearly $2 trillion in investments into the United States are announced from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, involving companies like Boeing and AI ventures. (Source: All-In podcast)
2025-05-13
- Discussions are held regarding the potential expansion of the Abraham Accords. (Source: All-In podcast)
2025-05-13
- Agreements are inked in the AI sector, including a $200 billion deal with the UAE and plans to construct the United States’ largest data center outside of the country, followed by OpenAI's announcement to build a large computing complex in the Emirates. (Source: CSIS)
2025-05-13
- Donald Trump concludes his four-day Middle East trip. (Source: Wikipedia)
2025-05-16
Wikipedia
View on Wikipedia2025 visit by Donald Trump to the Middle East
From May 13 to 16, 2025, Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States, undertook his first major international trip of his second term, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Trump was joined by a Republican delegation and several business chief executives, including senior advisor Elon Musk. The four-day tour primarily focused on securing business deals and investments in the United States, which Trump claimed could reach as high as $4 trillion, as well as lifting sanctions on the transitional government of Syria.
Web Search Results
- 2025 visit by Donald Trump to the Middle East - Wikipedia
From May 13 to 16, 2025, Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States, undertook his first major international trip of his second term, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Trump was joined by a Republican "Republican Party (United States)") delegation and several business chief executives, including senior advisor Elon Musk. The four-day tour primarily focused on securing business deals and investments in the United States, which Trump claimed could reach as [...] 2025 visit by Donald Trump to the Middle East | | | | --- | --- | | Part of Second presidency of Donald Trump, International presidential trips made by Donald Trump | | | Trump with Mohammed bin Salman in the Royal Palace | | | Date | May 13–16, 2025 (2025-05-13 – 2025-05-16) | | Location | Saudi Arabia Qatar United Arab Emirates | ## Contents ## Background ### Planning [...] In April 2025, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, announced that Trump would visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in May, his second foreign trip of his second term after the funeral of Pope Francis. The visit notably excluded Israel, though Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, met with Edan Alexander, a hostage who was released on May 12 in a deal between the United States and Hamas. Trump later denied that Israel was deliberately excluded from the
- US Policy in the Middle East: A Report Card
President Donald J. Trump’s trip to the Middle East on May 13-16 comes on the heels of more than three months of whirlwind activity in US foreign policy where the region has been a higher priority than it was in the early months of the previous US administration. The US president has gained attention by proposing some provocative ideas and his team has made some signs of progress in talks with Iran, but thus far the second Trump administration has produced very few tangible advances for [...] Read as PDF ### I. Executive Summary President Donald J. Trump’s trip to the Middle East next week comes on the heels of more than three months of whirlwind activity in US foreign policy where the region has been a higher priority than it was in the early months of the previous US administration. [...] The Trump administration began its second term in office prioritizing the Middle East in part because events such as the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza forced it to do so, but it also sees some potential in achieving progress toward a nuclear deal with Iran and normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Middle East remains a key arena for geopolitical competition, and the fact that President Trump is making his first scheduled overseas trip in his second term to
- Did Trump Just Upend Decades of U.S. Middle East Policy? - CSIS
President Trump’s Middle East trip last month generated widespread attention—and in some cases,bipartisan concern—around the eye-popping business deals purported to be valued at$2 trillion.Less noticeable but more significantly, the trip contained the elements of a generational recalibration of U.S. Middle East strategy that would lay the foundation for a much-needed U.S. course correction in the region. Should the Trump administration successfully negotiate deals that neutralize Iran’s nuclear [...] Yet the flashy deals may obscure the most significant impact of Trump’s visit: a decided reorientation of U.S. Middle East posture away from more than two decades of military-led, big-footprint interventions focused on counterterrorism and democratic nation-building. Trump has signaled his intent to instead move toward a more pragmatic, realist stance, characterized by economic and business engagements and devoid of U.S. moralizing on domestic governance issues. [...] Aside from the jet deals, the administration inked agreements in the AI sector, most notably a$200 billion deal with the UAE, including plans to construct the United States’ largest data center outside of the country. OpenAI’ssubsequent announcementthat it will build a large computing complex in the Emirates followed directly from Trump’s trip and was a clear nod to the expanded opportunities for AI in the region. The trip also featured more traditional defense-related agreements,including a
- Trump's Middle East trip leaves Netanyahu watching from the ... - CNN
But as President Donald Trump prepares for his first visit to the region in his second term, the same elephant sits in the same corner of the Oval Office. Trump’s itinerary includes Saudi Arabia – where he’ll arrive early Tuesday local time– Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. [...] ### CNN values your feedback # Trump’s Middle East trip leaves Netanyahu watching from the sidelines again Oren Liebermann Jeremy Diamond Follow: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, on April 7. The first stop was Riyadh. [...] Just a few months into his new administration, the president of the United States met the king of Saudi Arabia as part of an effort to push forward relations with the Arab world. From there, it was off to another regional capital, where the leader of the free world gave a speech about a new vision for the Middle East. Conspicuously missing from the itinerary was a stop in Israel.
- Trump's Middle East policy arrives at a temporary and fragile limbo
Multiple economic deals in the Middle East. President Trump’svisit to the Gulf in May resulted in major economic and technology deals with regional players along with a new US policy approach on Syria. Mineral wealth deal. An agreement with Ukraine in April established a reconstruction and investment fundthat will give the US access to Ukraine’s reserves of critical minerals and natural resources. [...] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington next week for his third visit since Trump returned to office earlier this year. This meeting will take place amid lingering questions about the status of Iran’s nuclear program and major unresolved issues in the Gaza war. Trump’s overall foreign policy achieves some modest gains as major tests loom [...] In addition to these looming global challenges, the Trump team continues to face a complicated set of conflicts and tensions across the Middle East. US policy in the Middle East finds itself in a temporary state of limbo because of an overarching disequilibrium in the region — and this makes the upcoming third meeting between Trump and Netanyahu next week potentially a pivotal one.