President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week, hosting an extravagant White House dinner that featured military pomp, celebrity performances, and high-stakes business discussions even as some Republicans expressed concerns about the administration's focus on domestic economic issues.
Grand Welcome Amid Political Challenges
The Saudi royal's visit came at what observers describe as perhaps the lowest point of Trump's second term, with the president facing multiple domestic challenges. Just hours before the White House dinner, the House voted nearly unanimously to mandate disclosure of government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a move Trump had resisted for months. The Senate quickly followed suit.
Earlier the same day, Trump faced setbacks on multiple fronts: he criticized Indiana politicians for not advancing a White House-backed redistricting plan, a federal court blocked a Texas redistricting map designed to favor Republicans, and the president had a public falling out with once-loyal Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene.
An "Unbelievable Show" of Diplomacy
Trump welcomed the Saudi crown prince with full ceremonial honors, including a procession of horses, a flyover by six jet fighters, a Marine band, and troops holding ceremonial flags. The president described the subsequent private candlelit dinner as an "unbelievable show" featuring his favorite tenor, Christopher Macchio, who serenaded business executives with performances of "Ave Maria" and the Beatles' "Let It Be."
Guests dined on an elaborate menu including honeynut squash soup, pistachio-crusted lamb, and pear chocolate mousse served on gold-rimmed plates. The event attracted prominent business leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, and billionaire Elon Musk, who made his first known White House visit since his falling out with Trump.
Business Deals and Political Fallout
The diplomatic festivities yielded significant business announcements. During the cocktail hour, U.S. business leaders discussed potential deals with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Musk revealed that his artificial-intelligence company xAI will collaborate with chip maker Nvidia and a Saudi partner to develop a massive data center in the kingdom.
Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman announced his firm would begin building AI data warehouses in Saudi Arabia, something previously unconsidered. Most notably, the crown prince pledged to invest nearly $1 trillion in the U.S. economy, though specific details remained scarce.
Meanwhile, Trump faced criticism from within his own party. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called the president a "traitor" for prioritizing foreign affairs over American interests, stating "A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves."
Addressing Affordability Concerns
Republican strategists have warned that the party could face significant losses in next year's midterms if they don't convince voters they're serious about lowering prices. The concern stems from recent election results where Republican candidates performed poorly.
Trump addressed these concerns indirectly, criticizing Democrats for using affordability issues against him. "That's a new word that they're using, affordability," Trump said during a Saudi investment forum in Washington. He then targeted the Biden administration: "They had the worst inflation in history. They had the highest prices in history. The country was going to hell."
White House officials defended the president's record. White House spokesman Kush Desai stated that Republican critics were overlooking Trump's successes, pointing to recent trade deals and investment pledges while promising more focus on affordability in coming weeks.
The visit also saw Trump wade into controversial policy areas, including his support for granting visas to foreign workers to help establish high-tech chip facilities in the U.S.—a position that has drawn criticism from some conservatives who argue those jobs should go to American workers.
In a significant foreign policy announcement, Trump said the U.S. would intervene to help end the civil war in Sudan at the urging of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, pledging to work with Middle Eastern partners to "get these atrocities to end while stabilizing Sudan."
The elaborate welcome for the Saudi leader and the subsequent business announcements highlight Trump's continued focus on foreign policy and economic deals, even as domestic political challenges mount and concerns about cost of living dominate voter concerns ahead of the midterm elections.
