United States President Donald Trump will undertake a three-day tour of the Gulf for his first state visit since retaking office in January.The trip begins in Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
It marks Trump’s second foreign visit as president after he attended Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome in April.
Here is what to know about the trip and what is on the agenda:
When and where is Trump visiting?
Trump will fly out of the US on Monday and start his trip in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday.
He is expected to attend a Gulf summit in the city on Wednesday, visit Qatar later that day and conclude his visit in the UAE on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia was the first country Trump visited during his first term as well, breaking the tradition of US presidents starting with the United Kingdom, Canada or Mexico.
(Al Jazeera)
What is on Trump’s agenda?
His objectives are securing major economic deals and making diplomatic progress on issues that impact the region, including a Gaza ceasefire and stalled Saudi-Israel normalisation talks. Advertisement
The focus on economic deals comes as the US recorded a drop in its economic output in the first quarter, its first in three years.
On Wednesday, Trump said he will also decide during his trip how the US refers to the “Persian Gulf”.
US media reported that he may decide to refer to the body of water as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: Normalisation, business deals and weapons
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the president wants to expand the Abraham Accords, under which the UAE and Bahrain recognised Israel during Trump’s first term, to include Saudi Arabia.
Talks were reportedly under way on Saudi Arabia joining the accords, but after Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) paused …