Not only did the trip reaffirm the US’s priority foreign policy and strong commitment to the Middle East, but it also achieved significant economic success, with a series of cooperation agreements and investment commitments worth hundreds of billions of dollars between the US. and regional allies.
Breaking from the tradition of former US presidents visiting neighbouring Canada or longstanding European allies first, President Trump chose Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar as the destinations for his initial foreign tour.
The success of this four-day visit reflected a consistent policy stance throughout both of Trump’s terms. Alongside a strong message on Middle East strategy, the trip underscored the ‘America First’ policy by advancing US interests in diplomacy, security, defense, and especially economic and trade sectors.
A highlight of the first leg in Saudi Arabia was economic agreements exceeding 300 billion USD, with Saudi Arabia pledging approximately 600 billion USD in investments into the US economy through numerous cooperative projects across sectors such as energy, defense, technology, infrastructure, and critical minerals. Saudi Arabia aims to increase this investment to 1 trillion USD in the next phase.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasised that the US is one of the largest partners in Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” strategy, with joint investments serving as a cornerstone of bilateral economic relations.
The Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement signed during the visit encompasses multiple cooperation deals in energy, mining, and defense. Notably, a nearly 142 billion-USD defense cooperation agreement was hailed as historic, aimed at modernising Saudi Arabia’s armed forces capabilities.
In Qatar, President Trump secured economic commitments totaling 1.2 trillion USD, alongside major aviation and defense agreements.
A standout deal was the historic contract between Qatar Airways and US manufacturer Boeing. Qatar Airways’ order for 210 wide-body aircraft became Boeing’s largest-ever contract.
The two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding and defense agreements worth 42 billion USD.
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| Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (2nd R) and US President Donald Trump (2nd L) witness the signing of a series of deals at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, on May 14, 2025. (Amiri Diwan/Qatar News Agency/Handout via Xinhua) |
During the final leg of his Gulf tour, in the UAE, US Trump reached trade agreements exceeding 200 billion USD. Among them were notable purchase contracts worth 14.5 billion USD between Etihad Airways and Boeing and GE Aerospace for aircraft and engines.
The White House highlighted that this deal not only strengthens US-UAE commercial aviation ties but also boosts manufacturing and export sectors of the world’s largest economy.
Beyond defense procurement and trade deals, cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) stood out as a key success of President Trump’s Middle East tour.
One major agreement in Saudi Arabia involved DataVolt committing 20 billion USD to AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the US. Several large corporations pledged around 80 billion USD in joint technology investments between the two countries.
President Trump also witnessed the inauguration of the first phase of a new comprehensive 5GW AI facility in Abu Dhabi. This is the largest AI center outside the US, serving as a hub for major American companies to support the Southern Hemisphere region. The facility is a joint effort between UAE’s leading AI company G42 and American partners.
This project represents the implementation of the US-UAE AI Accelerated Partnership Framework to deepen cooperation in AI and advanced technologies.
The AI agreement promotes building critical UAE data centres for AI model development and includes UAE commitments to invest in, build, and fund US data centers. The White House called this a historic deal, as it involves UAE aligning regulations more closely with US standards.
As these projects and agreements roll out in the Gulf, especially in the UAE, the region is set to become the third global power center in the AI race, after the US and China.
