President Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohamed bin Salman quite an extravagant greeting when he visited the White House on Tuesday, reflecting the president’s respect for the Saudi leader and his belief that a strong U.S.-Saudi relationship is crucial to American and global security.
Trump’s warm reception of the Crown Prince was also part of his efforts to reverse the damage done to the U.S.-Saudi relationship by Joe Biden.
An honor guard of mounted troops from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (the Old Guard) escorted the prince’s limo onto the White House grounds. There was a Marine band and a 21-gun salute. After Trump greeted the prince in front of the White House diplomatic entrance, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets did a dramatic flyover of the White House.
But much more important than this pomp and ceremony, President Trump announced that Saudi Arabia will be designated a major U.S. non-NATO ally and that he will sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to the kingdom.
As Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (also known as MBS) has modernized and reformed his country as he remakes the kingdom into a powerful geopolitical player. At home, MBS’s “Saudi First” policies have led to investments of hundreds of billions of dollars to develop new industries and open the long-isolated nation to international business and tourism.
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