The meeting between Mohammed bin Salman and the new US president comes as the kingdom seeks to deepen ties with its Western ally.
Donald Trump, right, meets with Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2017, during his first term as president. © Evan Vucci/AP
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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia plans to invest at least $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, as the kingdom seeks to deepen ties with its most important Western ally after Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The prince called Trump on Thursday to congratulate him on his inauguration, saying the new US administration's proposed reforms would "create unprecedented economic prosperity and opportunity," according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
The White House did not immediately provide a summary of the call. The State Department said Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader — often known by his initials MBS — also spoke by phone to discuss developments in the Middle East.
Trump said Monday that he would consider repeating his first foreign trip as president to Saudi Arabia if Riyadh agreed to buy $500 billion worth of American products, as he claimed the kingdom did during his first term.
“I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion of our products,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after his inauguration. “If Saudi Arabia wants to buy another $450 billion or $500 billion — we’ll increase that for all inflation — I think I might let it go.”
When he took office for his first term in 2017, Trump broke with tradition by making Saudi Arabia his first overseas destination, attending a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Riyadh. Newly elected US presidents typically visit neighboring Canada or Mexico.
The statement about the call between Prince Mohammed and Trump did not provide details on the sectors or industries that would receive the $600 billion in investment, but it said the amount could potentially go beyond that if additional opportunities arise.
Trump maintained close ties with Saudi Arabia during his first term, with the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund investing billions of dollars in companies managed by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin shortly after Trump left the White House.
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