In a significant diplomatic and economic event, President Donald Trump addressed the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh today, highlighting what the White House has called a “historic $600 billion investment commitment” from Saudi Arabia. The visit marks Trump’s first major overseas trip during his second term and signals a renewed emphasis on economic partnerships with Gulf states.
A Royal Welcome in Riyadh
Trump was greeted with lavish Saudi hospitality upon his arrival in the kingdom, including a traditional honor guard, Arabian horses, and the distinctive lavender carpet that Saudi Arabia reserves for high-profile dignitaries. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally welcomed Trump at the airport, underscoring the special relationship between the two leaders.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump remarked during his meeting with the crown prince, whom he later described as “an incredible man” during his forum speech, adding, “There’s nobody like him.”
Historic Investment Deals
The centerpiece of today’s events was the announcement of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to invest $600 billion in the United States, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman indicating plans to reach $1 trillion in the coming months.
During his address at the forum, Trump took the stage to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” and praised Saudi Arabia’s transformation under Crown Prince Mohammed’s leadership:
“Mohammed, do you sleep at night? How do you sleep?” Trump quipped. “Critics doubted it was possible, what you’ve done, but over the past eight years, Saudi Arabia has proved the critics totally wrong.”
The president also highlighted the strength of the American economy, stating, “We are rocking: The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country,” while gesturing to Prince Mohammed.
Major Defense and Technology Agreements
Among the most significant deals announced was a historic defense agreement worth nearly $142 billion, which the White House described as “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever completed. The package provides Saudi Arabia with “state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms” and covers five broad categories:
- Air force advancement and space capabilities
- Air and missile defense
- Maritime and coastal security
- Border security and land forces modernization
- Information and communication systems upgrades
The technology sector also featured prominently in the announced deals, with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang revealing that his company will supply 18,000 of its most advanced AI supercomputers to Saudi Arabia’s artificial intelligence company Humain. These cutting-edge Blackwell chips will power a 500-megawatt data center in the kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia is rich with energy, transforming the energy through these giant versions of these Nvidia AI supercomputers, which are essentially AI factories,” Huang said during his remarks at the forum.
Business Elite in Attendance
The investment forum attracted an impressive roster of American business leaders, including Elon Musk, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, among many others. These executives participated in discussions and deal-making throughout the day.
In his forum remarks, Trump even took a swipe at Apple, noting that “Tim Cook isn’t here, but you are,” while praising NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang for his attendance.
Additional Investment Highlights
According to the White House fact sheet, the announced deals include:
- Saudi Arabian DataVolt’s $20 billion investment in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the U.S.
- $80 billion in technology investments from Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber
- $2 billion in U.S. services exports from companies including Hill International, Jacobs, Parsons, and AECOM for Saudi infrastructure projects
- $14.2 billion in GE Vernova gas turbines and energy solutions
- $4.8 billion in Boeing 737-8 passenger aircraft for AviLease
- $5.8 billion investment in the healthcare sector from Shamekh IV Solutions, LLC, including a plant in Michigan
Next Steps in the Gulf Tour
Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia is the first stop on a four-day tour of Gulf states, with planned visits to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. Economic partnerships and investment opportunities are expected to remain the focus throughout this regional tour.
The president’s trip notably does not include a stop in Israel, which has raised questions about the relationship and its standing in the administration’s priorities. Instead, the focus has remained firmly on economic partnerships and investments with the wealthy Gulf states.
A New Chapter in US-Saudi Relations
Today’s events mark a significant strengthening of ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia, underscored by the massive financial commitments and high-level participation from both sides.
“Today we hope for investment opportunities worth $600 billion, including deals worth $300 billion that were signed during this forum,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during the forum. “We will work in the coming months on the second phase to complete deals and raise it to $1 trillion.”
The White House described the agreements as representing “a new golden era of partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” though some economists have questioned whether the ambitious financial targets are realistic, given that the total pledged amount approaches the size of Saudi Arabia’s entire annual GDP.
As Trump continues his Gulf tour, the emphasis on business deals and economic partnerships signals his administration’s focus on leveraging America’s global relationships to secure investment and create jobs at home—a core tenet of his “America First” approach to international relations.
