Saudi Crown Prince pledges $600 billion in US investments during meeting with Trump

Saudi Arabia is investing nearly $1 trillion in America, “the hottest country on the planet,” the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman announced Tuesday during his meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

“What you’re creating is not about opportunity today,” bin Salman said. “It’s also long-term opportunity to affect the American economy positively for the next coming decades. Preparing the foundation, making technology – that’s a game changer for America in a good way. And we want to be a part of it.” 

His pledge came immediately after Trump announced Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion investment in the U.S., saying he may be able to convince the country to reach $1 trillion. Trump said by the end of this year, America will boast $21 trillion expected from new investments and tariffs. 

The president compared the pledged investments to the $1 trillion during the Biden administration. With the surge of wealth, Trump said, America is launching new plants, including opening auto plants from foreign manufacturers, and leading the world in artificial intelligence. 

“Our country has never been in a position like this, and it really is because of the fact that we use tariffs to bring all this money in,” Trump said. “And you’re going to see the results in a year when these plants start to open up. We have more plants under construction now than at any time in the history of our country.” 

Additionally, prices are falling for the American consumers, and industries are creating thousands of jobs, Trump said. 

Trump called Saudi Arabia a “great ally,” and said America will be providing F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in recognition of that alliance.  

“We make, by the way, the best military equipment. You saw that during the Iran little skirmish,” Trump said. “We make the best planes, the best missiles we make, the best defensive missiles we make, the best military equipment.” 

Trump described Saudi Arabia’s location as “a tough part of the world” with “tricky people.” 

“We’ve been really good friends for a long period of time,” Trump said, turning to bin Salman. “We’ve always been on the same side of every issue. I think we’ve done a great job in wiping out the nuclear capacity of Iran. Nobody else could have done that.” 

The pilots who completed the mission to destroy Iran’s nuclear sites previously told Trump they and their predecessors had practiced that mission three times annually for 22 years, but no president before Trump green-lit the plan. 

Bin Salman said he values Trump’s “work for world peace,” saying America’s alliance and friendship with Saudi Arabia is critical. 

“It’s critical in the safety of the world,” he said. “It’s critical against extremism and terrorism.”

Image credit: The White House