Quotes
I just had a little announcement of a beautiful grandchild, a boy, Tiffany and Michael. So we’re very excited about that. I look forward to that. I probably should have left yesterday, but I couldn’t disappoint you,
Trump told his Emirati host on Friday
A new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos,
Trump said during a speech in Saudi Arabia
He never did anything about anything. He had no capability, had no ability,
Former President Joe Biden was a top target ... he told the Gulf Cooperation Council in RiyadhHe’s running the biggest air system in the world, and he takes a bicycle to work. And they say he’s going to run for president. I don’t see it. Who knows, right? But I don’t see it,
he saidTrump's Riyadh speech marked a clear and consequential shift in US policy toward the Middle East,
said Sina Toossi, from the Center for International Policy
I will never hesitate to wield American power if it's necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners."
But then he immediately addedIn the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built,
Trump told an investment forum in Riyadh, the first stop on his tour of the GulfIs it a tactical problem for Netanyahu and the entire pro-Israel lobby? I think it is,
Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, said of Trump’s shift
I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,
the US president saidLifting sanctions on Syria represents a fundamental turning point,
Ibrahim Nafi Qushji, an economist, told Al JazeeraIf they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”
In late March, for instance, he told NBC NewsWhile it took President Biden nearly four years to secure $1 trillion in investments, President Trump achieved this in his first month, with additional investment commitments continuing to roll in,
the White House saidWe really want them to be a successful country,
the US president said of IranThis great transformation has not come from Western intervention or flying people in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs,
he saidI have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good. Make it a freedom zone,
he saidAs a construction guy, this is perfect marble — this is what they call perfecto,
Trump said as he looked up and down at the walls and columns of the Al Wajab Palace
A lot of this raises questions whether Trump is taking personal prizes or really advancing U.S interests in the region,
he added
It feels like Trump is being played by some of these leaders with the ostentatious, ceremonial pomp,
said Brett Bruen, a former foreign policy adviser to Democratic President Barack Obama and president of the Global Situation Room consultancyI like him a lot. I like him too much,
Trump said of bin Salman, without mentioning the leader's alleged role in ordering the murder of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.Oh, what I do for the crown prince!"
the president gushed to the crowd at the investment conference in Riyadh where he announced the decision