Trump’s Gulf Tour Delivers Trillions in Investments and Recasts U.S. Relations in the Middle East

President Donald Trump has returned from his first major international trip of his second term with a suite of landmark deals that reaffirm the strategic importance of the Gulf states to U.S. foreign policy. His visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar yielded investment agreements surpassing $3 trillion, representing one of the most ambitious economic diplomacy efforts in recent U.S. history.

At the heart of these agreements lies a transactional vision of foreign relations, one in which strategic alignment is solidified through economic commitments. In Saudi Arabia Trump signed a $600 billion partnership deal with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The pact covers defense, energy, technology, and infrastructure, with nearly “$142 billion alone” devoted to defense sales involving over a dozen U.S. firms, an amount nearly double the kingdom’s 2025 defense budget (Breuninger, 2025). Trump further announced that he would lift sanctions on Syria to facilitate regional cooperation, a move aligned with Riyadh’s regional interests.

Saudi investments also included commitments from companies like Google, Oracle, and Uber, with tech firm DataVolt pledging $20 billion for AI data centers in the U.S. “The aim is to raise the U.S.-Saudi partnership to $1 trillion across the military, security, economic and technological sectors,” Crown Prince bin Salman declared at the Riyadh investment forum (Breuninger, 2025).

The UAE, already branding itself as “the capital of capital,” came prepared with its own robust portfolio. Trump’s visit sealed $200 billion in new commercial deals, including a $14.5 billion aircraft purchase by Etihad Airways and a $4 billion aluminum smelter project in Oklahoma. Abu Dhabi also formalized energy collaborations with ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, and EOG Resources, projected to create hundreds of jobs and lower energy costs.

The UAE’s overarching economic vision is tied to a $1.4 trillion, ten-year investment plan announced earlier this year, focused on artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology, and clean energy. As UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash noted, “The commitment to invest $1.4 trillion… aligns with the UAE’s goal to diversify its economy away from its over reliance on hydrocarbons to ensure prosperity for the country in the future” (Ebrahim & Al Lawti, 2025). However, achieving its aspiration to become an AI leader by 2031 will require U.S. cooperation on advanced microchip exports, curbs that Trump now promises to ease.

In Qatar, Trump brokered $1.2 trillion in economic partnerships along with an additional $243.5 billion in sector-specific deals. These included the sale of American-made aircraft to Qatar Airways and a defense package involving state-of-the-art U.S. military technology. Yet perhaps more telling was the deepening of security relations, with Doha extending U.S. access to Al-Udeid Air Base for another decade and pushing for U.S. support in lifting sanctions on Syria under the Caesar Act.

Qatar’s strategy appears rooted in maintaining its role as a key diplomatic interlocutor. “The Gulf states view conflict mediation as a source of influence and prestige,” explained Hasan Alhasan of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, referencing Qatar’s efforts in Gaza and Afghanistan (Ebrahim & Al Lawti, 2025). By positioning itself as a necessary partner in regional conflict resolution, Doha enhances its leverage with Washington.

These multilateral engagements reflect a calculated move by Gulf states to capitalize on Trump’s return to office. Frustrated by the previous administration’s perceived disengagement, they now view the current moment as a rare opportunity to entrench their roles as America’s indispensable allies. As Ebtesam AlKetbi, president of the Emirates Policy Center, observed, the Gulf states seek “greater privileges in their relationship with the world’s most powerful nation” (Ebrahim & Al Lawti, 2025).

For Trump, these deals deliver immediate political and economic wins, aligning with his broader vision of a transactional foreign policy. They also offer tangible benefits for American industries, from aerospace and energy to AI and manufacturing. “He’s coming here because he believes it is in the interest of the U.S. economy, perhaps his interest and those around him, to have those deals here,” said Firas Maksad of the Eurasia Group (Ebrahim & Al Lawti, 2025).

As these investments materialize, they will likely deepen interdependence between the U.S. and the Gulf while amplifying the region’s influence in Washington. Whether this model yields long-term strategic stability or introduces new geopolitical risks remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: under Trump, economic diplomacy has taken center stage in America’s Middle East policy.

Sources

Breuninger, Kevin. “White House Announces $600 Billion Saudi Investment in U.S. during Trump Visit.” MSN, 14 May 2025, https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/trump-speaks-after-white-house-announces-600-billion-saudi-investment-in-us/ar-AA1EGVKi.

Ebrahim, Nadeen, and Abbas Al Lawati. “Trump Is Visiting Three of the World’s Richest Nations. Here’s What’s on Their Wish List.” CNN, 13 May 2025, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-is-visiting-three-of-the-world-s-richest-nations-here-s-what-s-on-their-wish-list/ar-AA1Ez5NP.

Wolf, Rachel. “Trump Secures Deals with 3 Middle Eastern Nations in 1st Major Trip of 2nd Term.” Fox News, 16 May 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-secures-deals-3-middle-eastern-nations-first-major-trip-second-term.