U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday capped his Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi after overseeing the signing of another raft of multibillion-dollar deals, while also securing a $1.4 trillion investment pledge from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The eye-watering amounts of money in investments were accompanied also by the lifting of decadeslong sanctions on Syria and renewed optimism over an Iran nuclear deal during the multiday trip across the Gulf.
On his first foreign tour of his second term, Trump oversaw a $200 billion order from Qatar Airways for Boeing jets and a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia – including nearly $142 billion in weapons, which the White House described as the largest-ever arms deal.
"I'm just thinking we have a president of the United States doing the selling," Trump quipped, during a business roundtable alongside Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"I think I have to be a cheerleader for our country," he added.
Following the business roundtable, the president briefly toured the Abrahamic Family House, a complex opened in 2023 that houses a mosque, church and the country's first official synagogue – and then departed the country on Air Force One.
On Thursday, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan lauded the strong partnership between the two countries that grew under Trump's leadership and vowed to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. economy over 10 years.
The White House said the two countries had also signed business deals worth more than $200 billion, including a $60 billion partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and a $14.5 billion Etihad Airways order of Boeing planes.
"You're an amazing country. You're a rich country. You can have your choice, but I know you'll never leave my side," Trump said after the $1.4 trillion announcement Thursday, addressing the UAE president.
"That's your biggest investment that you've ever made, and we really appreciate it," he added, saying he will treat the UAE "magnificently" and that Sheikh Mohammed was "a magnificent man, and it's an honor to be with you."
The White House also said both countries inked an AI agreement that will see the UAE invest in U.S. data centres and commit to "further align their national security regulations with the United States, including strong protections to prevent the diversion of U.S.-origin technology."
The UAE is seeking to become a leader in technology and especially artificial intelligence to help diversify its oil-reliant economy.
But these ambitions hinge on access to advanced U.S. technologies, including AI chips under stringent export restrictions, which the UAE president's brother and spy chief Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reportedly lobbied for during a Washington visit in March.
Earlier this week, Trump rescinded further controls on AI chips, which were imposed by his predecessor to make it harder for China to access advanced technology.
In Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, Trump was greeted with lavish welcomes and hailed the three Arab leaders in return.
He said that he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "like each other a lot" – in sharp contrast with the frosty Saudi-U.S. relations that marked the start of his predecessor Joe Biden's term.
He said the trip had resulted in securing "trillions of dollars."
Trump was already facing questions about conflicts of interest for traveling to the Middle East to shape U.S. policy at a time when his family's business interests in the region have boomed. He attempted to quiet worries about national security and constitutional questions by insisting he's smart to accept a $400 million luxury plane from Qatar and use it as Air Force One.
The deal-heavy tour also saw a major diplomatic shift.
Trump became the first U.S. president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, after announcing the removal of sanctions on the war-torn country following appeals from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
During his Qatar visit, Trump said a deal was close on Iran's nuclear program that would avert military action, sending oil prices tumbling.
Before taking off from Abu Dhabi, Trump said that Iran should make a quick decision on an American proposal given to Iran concerning the nuclear deal or face potential consequences.
"They know they have to move quickly or something bad is going to happen," Trump told reporters.
There was no announcement of a breakthrough on the Gaza war, which Qatar has been a key mediator, with Trump repeating his controversial claims that Washington should "take" Gaza and turn it into a "freedom zone."
But in Abu Dhabi, he conceded that "a lot of people are starving" in Gaza, under Israeli aid blockade for more than two months, vowing to "get that taken care of."
In remarks on Friday, Trump added that he would like to meet his Russian counterpart "as soon as we can set it up," after President Vladimir Putin skipped the direct Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul – which Trump said he had been willing to attend.
