Washington, DC - Three days, three countries, tens of billions of dollars in investment and the U.S. geopolitical shift in the region: Big things have happened to Donald Trump’s journey to the Middle East.
This week, the U.S. president visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the first plan for his second presidency after attending the funeral of Pope Francis last month.
Trump is clearly inspiring throughout his journey as he gained investment, criticizing domestic political rivals and praising Gulf leaders. U.S. officials have repeatedly used the term “historic” to describe visits.
Trump’s return to the White House, here are five key points of his trip:
At the investment summit in Riyadh, Trump promoted a realist approach where the United States does not interfere in other countries' affairs.
He swiped the neoconservatives responsible for the American war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as he praised Gulf leaders for developing the region.
“This huge shift is not something that comes from people who intervene in the West or fly in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to live and how to manage your own affairs,” he said.
“The gleaming marble of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi was not created by so-called ethnic builders, new officials or liberal nonprofits, such as those who spent trillions of dollars and trillions of dollars in the development of Kabul, Baghdad, Baghdad, many other cities.”
Trump has built his political brand with his “America No. 1” slogan, calling on the United States to focus on its own problems rather than helping or bombing foreign countries.
But his words at the Investment Summit marked a harsh condemnation of the new ruler who was dominated by Trump’s Republican Party a decade ago.
"In the end, the so-called country builders suffer far more than the countries they build, and the interventionists are intervening in complex societies, and they don't even understand themselves," Trump said.
The U.S. president rarely goes to the Middle East rather than visiting Israel, but Trump omits U.S. allies from his itinerary when visiting the region.
Skipping Israel is believed to reflect the changing relationship between the U.S. government and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The trip this week also appears in the context of several moves considered evidence of the US marginalizing Israel. The United States continues to hold talks with Israeli rival Iran, declares a ceasefire with Houthis in Yemen and conducts unilateral negotiations to free the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander of the U.S. citizen, imprisoned from Hamas.
Furthermore, Trump did not use his remarks to prioritize formal diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel during his visit to the Gulf, which has been the most important goal during his first term.
It is unclear how Trump's decision will affect the "special relationship" between the two allies, but experts say it is becoming increasingly obvious that the United States no longer watches the Middle East through only Israel's lens.
"Is this a tactical question for Netanyahu and the entire pro-Israel hall?" Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, said of Trump's turnaround?
“It does throw a wrench on the mechanical side because it’s a president who shows open sunlight through Israeli decisions, not just with rhetoric, but acts on it – pulling Israel out of the process.”
With this gap emerging, some Palestinian rights advocates hope that the U.S. president’s trip to the region will lead to a deal in Washington to end the Israeli war on Gaza.
But when Trump marveled at the luxury Gulf buildings, Israel intensified its bombing to destroy the remaining items in Palestinian territory.
Despite reports of continued talks in Doha, no ceasefire has been announced. Israel appears to be pushing for its plans to expand its attack on Gaza as it continues to block aid from nearly 2 million people in the enclaves, causing fears of famine.
UN experts and rights groups describe this situation as genocide.
But despite preaching “peace and prosperity” for both Israelis and Palestinians, Trump has not made a strong effort to end the war during his trip this week.
On Thursday, Trump advised him not to give up the idea of reducing Gaza and handing it over to the United States, a proposal that legal experts say illustrates ethnic cleansing.
"I think the concept of Gaza is very good. Make it a free zone," he said. "Get the United States involved and make it a free zone."
Trump announced from Riyadh that he would provide relief to Syria, which surprised many observers as the country emerged from more than a decade of civil war.
Trump also met with Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa and described him as a "young, attractive person".
The expectation is not the expected wholesale lifting of sanctions, partly due to Israel’s hostility to the new Syrian authorities. Israeli officials often describe al-Sharaa as al-Sharaa, who leads al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, and then cuts ties with the group as "terrorists."
But Trump said he decided to lift the economic punishment for Syria at the request of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"I will order the sanctions on Syria to give them a great opportunity," the U.S. president said.
The White House said on Wednesday that Trump had a list of demands for al-Sharaa, including diplomatic relations with Israel and deportation of "Palestinian terrorists."
Deletion of U.S. sanctions imposed by former U.S. President Bashar al-Assad’s administration could push new Syrian authorities, which are struggling with a sick economy after years of conflict.
"The sanctions imposed on Syria are a fundamental turning point," economist Ibrahim Nafi Qushji told Al Jazeera.
“The Syrian economy will transition from interaction with developing economies to integration with more developed economies, which could significantly reshape trade and investment relations.”
In Saudi Arabia, Trump announced that he wanted to make a deal with Iran - he hopes to complete it quickly.
"We really want them to be a successful country," the U.S. president said of Iran.
"We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country, but they can't have nuclear weapons. It's a quote that won't last forever. Now it's time to choose them."
Trump warned that if Iran rejects his “olive branch”, he will put “tremendous maximum pressure” on Tehran and reduce its oil exports.
It is worth noting that Trump did not threaten clear military operations against Iran, which is contrary to his previous remarks. For example, he told NBC News in late March: "If they don't reach a deal, it will explode."
Iran said it is not seeking nuclear weapons and welcomes strict surveillance plans for its nuclear facilities.
But Israel and some eagles hope that the Iranian nuclear program will be completely removed, not just reduced.
U.S. and Iranian officials have held multiple rounds of talks this year, but Tehran said it has not received a formal proposal from Washington yet. Trump officials have not specified what the final game of negotiations is.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said last month that Iran "must stop and eliminate" uranium enrichment, but a few days ago he suggested that the enrichment should be reduced to civilian energy levels.
As relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours become increasingly stable, including three countries Trump visited this week, including three countries Trump visited this week.
Before entering politics, Trump was a real estate tycoon who played his celebrity role and was a wealthy trader. He seems to have brought this business mentality to the White House.
In the wealthy Gulf region, Trump is in his element. The deal he announced will allow Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to buy weapons for us and invest in U.S. companies. During his journey, Trump received a total of $2 trillion in investment from the Middle East, according to the White House.
His administration will deal frameworks as Trump’s main political and economic victory.
"While President Biden took nearly four years to get a $1 trillion investment, President Trump achieved that goal in his first month and continued to invest in the commitment," the White House said.
“President Trump is accelerating investment in the United States and ensuring a global fair trade deal, paving the way for a new golden age for generations.”