U.S. President Donald Trump recently said that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May to sign an investment agreement, marking this visit as his first foreign trip in his second term. Trump also plans to visit Qatar and the UAE during this trip.
“It could be next month, maybe a little later,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Four sources briefed on the matter told Reuters that mid-May was being looked at as the timing for the trip. Trump also made Saudi Arabia the initial stop on his inaugural foreign trip during his first term in 2017.
Trump to finalize $1 trillion investment agreements
In early March, Trump said his trip to Saudi Arabia would be to seal an investment agreement worth around $1 trillion in the U.S. economy, including purchases of military equipment. He suggested that similar agreements would be signed in Qatar and the UAE.
“Tremendous jobs will be created in those two or three days,” Trump said.
Trump is also expected to discuss Russia’s three-year-old war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza during his visit to the Kingdom. Hence, Saudi Arabia has played a prominent role in U.S. foreign policy, including hosting U.S. ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine.
Investment and trade ties to grow
In late January this year, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister, held a phone call with Trump where he affirmed the Kingdom’s intention to broaden its investments and trade with the U.S. over the next four years with an amount of $600 billion, and potentially beyond that.
The two leaders discussed ways for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. to promote peace, security and stability in the Middle East, in addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism.
They also discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties in various areas. Prince Mohammed noted the U.S. administration’s ability to create unprecedented economic prosperity and opportunity through anticipated reforms, stating that Saudi Arabia seeks to participate in these opportunities for partnership and investment.
Following his inauguration, Trump said that he would consider making Saudi Arabia his first destination for a foreign visit if Riyadh agreed to buy $500 billion worth of American products, similar to what he did in his first term. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first foreign visit during his first term when the countries signed several investment agreements worth about $400 billion.
Read: Tesla to launch in Saudi Arabia on April 10
Investment to include procurement from public, private sectors
Following Saudi Arabia’s pledge, the Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim said that the $600 billion pledge of expanded investment and trade with the U.S. committed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will include investments and procurement from the public and private sectors.
“This number represents investments, procurement, public and private sector, and it’s just a mirror reflection of the strong relationship,” Alibrahim said during his participation in a panel at Davos 2025 when he was asked if the Kingdom would increase the figure to $1 trillion, as Trump suggested to the forum on Thursday.
“What we’ll spend in the economy from the start of Vision 2030 to 2030 is 12 times that number,” Alibrahim added.
