An F-15 escort, a purple carpet and a princely welcome: Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia for a lavish state visit

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rolled retired the lavender carpet for President Donald Trump arsenic helium touched down successful Air Force One Tuesday greeting successful Riyadh, the Saudi capital. 

For the past 30 minutes of the flight, 5 Saudi combatant jets accompanied Trump's level arsenic it readied to onshore aft a 14-hour travel to the Middle East. 

Trump volition walk Tuesday and Wednesday greeting successful Saudi Arabia earlier jetting disconnected to Doha, Qatar and past Abu Dhabi, the superior of the United Arab Emirates. 

The president greeted 'MBS' warmly arsenic a cannon salute blasted successful the background. 

The 2 walked together, arsenic a Saudi royal defender lined the pathway. 

Trump was followed by the different apical U.S. officials successful his delegation: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. 

The Saudi delegation and the American delegation past filed into an ornate country for a java ceremony, wherever the president, crown prince and each the members were served tiny cups of java nether ample portraits of the Saudi royal family.

From determination Trump volition caput to the Royal Court for much pomp to footwear disconnected his Tuesday visit. 

In each 3 countries Trump volition aim, astatine a minimum, to denote economical deals - with hopes that advancement tin beryllium made connected immoderate analyzable geopolitical issues arsenic well. 

Trump volition walk Tuesday successful assorted engagements with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman oregon 'MBS.'

The semipermanent extremity is to person Saudi Arabia articulation the Abraham Accords - 1 of the biggest overseas argumentation achievements of Trump's archetypal administration. 

The Abraham Accords normalized relations betwixt Israel and the UAE, and Israel and Bahrain. 

Hamas' panic onslaught connected Israel connected October 7, 2023 - and the ongoing warfare successful Gaza - threw a wrench successful the Biden administration's, and present the Trump administration's, propulsion to person Saudi articulation the accords. 

MBS has pushed that the Saudis would request determination to beryllium a pathway to Gaza becoming a Palestinian authorities for them to articulation the pact now. 

But first, the warfare successful Gaza would request to end.  

Some advancement was made connected Monday erstwhile American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander was released by Hamas successful a woody etched retired betwixt the Palestinian panic radical and the U.S.  

Fox reported that Alexander whitethorn sojourn with Trump connected a aboriginal limb of this trip. 

He was taken to a infirmary successful Tel Aviv aft spending 584 days successful captivity.  

Saudi Arabia has besides played big for the caller Russia-U.S. talks to negociate an ending to the warfare successful Ukraine. 

While question has been made connected that, the White House said past week that a Trump gathering with Russian President Vladimir Putin wouldn't beryllium happening connected the Middle East trip. 

Several Arab newspapers person reported that Trump volition conscionable with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun portion connected the crushed with Saudi. 

Reuters reported Sunday that Sharaa - who remains a designated violent implicit his al-Qaeda past - planned to woo the American president by proposing a Trump Tower successful the Syrian superior of Damascus. 

Sharaa besides planned to transportation a detente with Israel and U.S. entree to Syria's lipid and gas, if Trump agrees to region sanctions connected the state aft the Assad authorities was toppled successful December.

The White House has yet to corroborate these meetings.

Trump volition pitchy to Doha connected Wednesday, for a speedy 24 hours spent successful Qatar, a state that has helped facilitate the Hamas-Israel ceasefires and was a large staging country during the U.S.'s pullout of Afghanistan during the Biden administration. 

On Sunday, ABC News reported that during this information of the trip, Trump would accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo pitchy from the royal household of Qatar to usage arsenic a caller Air Force One - arsenic the 2 Air Force One replacements person been mired successful delays and outgo overruns. 

Trump toured the opulent craft erstwhile it was parked successful West Palm Beach successful February. 

The level - which would apt beryllium painted successful Trump's desired colour strategy - would beryllium transferred to the Pentagon, to acceptable it to beryllium utilized by the president, and past aboriginal transferred to Trump's statesmanlike room foundation. 

That means Trump could proceed to alert the 'palace successful the sky' aft leaving office. 

Ethics experts person raised the alarm astir the transaction.  

Trump confirmed the woody successful a Truth Social station Sunday night. 

'So the information that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 craft to regenerate the 40 twelvemonth aged Air Force One, temporarily, successful a precise nationalist and transparent transaction, truthful bothers the Crooked Democrats that they importune we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,' the president wrote. 'Anybody tin bash that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!'

For the Secret Service, however, the president utilizing a level talented to him by a overseas authorities is considered a 'security nightmare,' a law enforcement root told CNN. 

The president's last halt volition beryllium Abu Dhabi, the superior of the United Arab Emirates, wherever the Trump Organization already has 1 existent property project, with 2 much successful the making. 

The White House has yet to merchandise a docket for the back-half of the trip, but Trump volition apt play up UAE's information successful the Abraham Accords.