Donald Trump arrives in Washington D.C., bringing investment accords, yet lacking substantial peace accords.
Trump Gets Florida Time After Mideast Tour:
President Donald Trump's Middle Eastern escapade came to an end on Friday, with the leader returning to Washington. The tour was marked by high-level discussions, extravagant hospitality shows, and Trump boasting his role as an economic mastermind and peace negotiator. Yet, the long-expected peace agreements for Gaza and Ukraine remained elusive.
In Abu Dhabi, Trump paid a visit to Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace of the UAE, where he toured investments in energy, healthcare, and aviation sectors. In the company of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump interacted with business honchos and took digs at his predecessor.
"We have a US President working hard on the sales game," Trump remarked while taking a jab at former President Joe Biden. "Tell me, would Biden have been pulling this off? I don't think so." A screen at the event recycled his campaign slogan to claim "Making Energy Great Again," underscoring the economic essence of the trip.
During the week, Trump revealed massive investments by Mideast countries in American businesses, including a proposed $600 billion investment deal from Saudi Arabia and an agreement between Qatar Airways and Boeing/GE Aerospace for the purchase of hundreds of planes. The White House praised the visit as a pivotal one that propelled America's golden era through its strategic partnerships with the Middle East.
The tour took place amid controversy over Trump's eagerness to get a planned gift from the Qatari government: a $400 million luxury jet, which he eyeing for Air Force One. The offer has elicited backlash from Democrats and certain Republicans back home over potential ethical, security, and financial concerns.
Trump downplayed apprehensions about the plane, saying he "liked the gesture." Brushing off allegations that the trip, which coincides with his company's expansion in the Mideast, presented a conflict of interest, he celebrated his economic victories.
However, the president found himself grappling with ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, conflicts he has vowed to resolve upon assuming office. The president has set ending the world's most entangled conflicts as a top priority of his administration, pledging to stop the bloodshed and bring about a lasting peace. To achieve this goal, he dispatched his senior advisors across the globe. Before his departure, Trump announced the release of Edan Alexander, an American held by Hamas, with Qatar playing a crucial role in the talks.
Significant hurdles remain in achieving the president's vision of peace. "We're focusing on Gaza," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he left Abu Dhabi. "And we're going to get that settled. There are many people starving."
As Trump completed his trip on Friday, Israeli airstrikes had killed more than 100 people in the previous 24 hours, according to local health authorities.
Concerning future diplomatic opportunities with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said, "We have to meet. He and I will meet. I think we'll find a solution, or maybe not."
Earlier, Trump expressed disillusionment but not surprise when Putin skipped a planned meeting in Turkey. "I didn't think it was possible for him to go if I didn't go," Trump said, emphasizing the clash in their schedules.
Instead, he hinted at the possibility of a breakthrough in nuclear talks with Iran. Trump revealed that his administration had submitted a proposal for a deal with Tehran after expressing undertakings for "serious negotiations" with Iran for long-lasting peace. Earlier in the week, Trump predicted that an agreement was imminent, declaring, "We won't be making nuclear waste in Iran."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later stated that his government had received no written proposal from the United States and that there was "no scenario" under which Tehran would abandon its nuclear program to strike a deal with the U.S.
"Iran remains steadfast and resolute: Recognize our rights and repeal your sanctions, and we have a deal," he said on X. "Take my words: there is no scenario where Iran relinquishes its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes, a right afforded to all other NPT signatories as well."
Trump also stated on Friday that recognizing the new Syrian government-something he called "the right thing to do" as the new leadership solidifies its control-was necessary to lift what he termed "brutal" and "merciless" sanctions.
Trump explained on Wednesday that the trip did not sideline Benjamin Netanyahu by dispensing with a visit. Instead, he maintained that his relationships with Arab leaders are "great for Israel." He also clarified that he reached out to Netanyahu regarding the decision to lift sanctions on Syria.
Analysts see similarities between this tour and Trump's 2017 Middle East tour. "Keep a close watch on what transpires subsequently in the region and the major steps his administration takes," said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. After 2017, the Gulf region underwent a rift that isolated Qatar for three years, and a US "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran that yielded no significant outcomes. Yet, the trip paved the groundwork for the Abraham Accords, the 2020 agreement normalizing ties between Israel and several Arab states, which remains Trump's signature foreign policy accomplishment and which Biden attempted to continue.
Trump is taking a more ambitious approach this time. "This time around, Trump aims for a historic breakthrough with Iran on the nuclear talks and also harbors dreams of obtaining a Nobel Prize if he manages to nab an Iran deal or broaden the Abraham Accords to include a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement," Katulis added.
Trump's hosts during this week played instrumental roles in these efforts, helping to mediate conflicts and offering support to negotiations. The president acknowledged that there was more to do as he departed Abu Dhabi. "Unexpected surprises and events have a way of upending US administrations," Katulis reasoned. "The ongoing war in Gaza and the escalating distress of Palestinians living there will serve as a critical test of Trump's resolve."
In the context of President Trump's Middle Eastern tour, politics and investment intertwined, as the President announced massive investments by Mideast countries in American businesses, such as a proposed $600 billion investment deal from Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, during his visit to the UAE, Trump engaged in discussions about investments in sectors like energy, healthcare, and aviation, highlighting the general-news topic of economic diplomacy.
