President Donald Trump arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday to a personal greeting from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a lavish purple carpet rolled out, elegant soldiers on horseback, and a coffee break at an airport “VIP lounge.”
Trump is embarking on the first formal international tour of the second term of his presidency, beginning in Saudi Arabia. He is expected to then travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an itinerary focusing on a variety of issues including economic cooperation, the ongoing war between Israel and the jihadist terror group Hamas, and efforts to resolve the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In Saudi Arabia, Trump is expected to attend the Saudi-US Investment Forum and a meeting of Gulf Arab leaders later on Tuesday.
The president has made one other international trip since being sworn into office in January – unprompted travel to Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Trump – accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth – were escorted on Air Force One by Saudi fighter jets to Riyadh’s airport. The crown prince personally greeted the delegation, a high honor that Saudi Arabia does not typically offer to visiting dignitaries. The Emirati newspaper The National observed in its coverage of the visit that “typically, a provincial governor or another official will greet a foreign leader on arrival.” The crown prince did not greet the last American president to visit the country, Joe Biden, at the airport, instead receiving him in Jeddah with an uncomfortable fist bump.
Saudi officials laid out a purple carpet to greet the Americans, who walked it off the plane. Greeting them on the ground was a contingent of Saudi soldiers who performed a 21-gun salute and fanfare to welcome the group, according to the government’s Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Trump and his team then made their way to the Al-Yamamah Palace in the Saudi capital. The U.S. government brought Trump’s presidential vehicle, known as the “Beast,” to Saudi Arabia; the Beast drove to the palace flanked by a Saudi military cavalry.
The purple, or lavender, carpet is a unique display the Saudi government adopted in 2021 for official state receptions and other special occasions, the Saudi news network Al Arabiya explained on Tuesday, citing the SPA. In addition to honoring Saudi culture, the color was adopted in conjunction with the debut of Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to diversify the Saudi economy away from dependence on oil and expand its cultural and geopolitical influence.
