Trump in Saudi Arabia: First Foreign Journey Starts As Home Troubles Mount

The US has signed its largest ever arms
deal with Saudi Arabia as US President
Donald Trump's first foreign trip begins in
Riyadh.




Mr Trump and his wife Melania were
greeted in the Saudi capital by King Salman
on Saturday morning local time.



The eight-day trip will also take in Israel, the
Palestinian territories, Brussels, the Vatican,
and Sicily.



The visit comes as Mr Trump faces uproar
at home following his sacking of FBI
director James Comey.


He has strongly criticised the decision to
appoint a special counsel to oversee an
inquiry into alleged Russian influence on the
US election.


Mr Trump is accompanied on his visit by his
daughter Ivanka, an unpaid White House
adviser, and her husband Jared Kushner, a
key member of the Trump administration.



In January 2015, Mr Trump criticised then-
First Lady Michelle Obama for doing the
same. In a tweet, Mr Trump said she had
"insulted" her hosts.


On Sunday, Mr Trump will attend the Arab
Islamic American Summit in Riyadh and
speak about his "hopes of a peaceful vision
of Islam". Aides say the president hopes his
speech will resonate worldwide and express
"a common vision of peace, progress and
prosperity".


Mr Trump caused controversy during his
campaign by calling for Muslims to be
temporarily banned from entering the US
over security concerns. Legislation aimed at
restricting travel from several Muslim-
majority countries remains tied up in the US
courts.


The summit agenda is expected to focus on
combating Islamist militants and the
growing regional influence of Iran.



Mr Trump has been a fierce critic of the
international deal with Iran which eased
sanctions in return for a curb on its nuclear
activities.



Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, he is
not expected to highlight human rights
during his trip.



President Trump's Saudi royal hosts have
pulled out all the stops for this visit. They are
lavishing him with an extravagant welcome
not shown to his predecessor, Barack
Obama, whom they felt was soft on their
rival, Iran.


Many Saudis are immensely proud that,
despite his mounting troubles at home, the
US president has chosen their country as the
first stop on his inaugural overseas tour. But
pressed further, a lot of ordinary Saudis will
voice their dislike of US policies in the region
and their conviction that the US, and by
extension the West, is intrinsically anti-
Islamic.


On Sunday President Trump will try to
address these concerns in a speech to more
than 40 leaders of Muslim nations in which
he will call for a united stand against
extremism and intolerance.


Some have already commentated that
Donald Trump is an unusual choice to
deliver such a message but for now, Saudi
officials are giving him the benefit of the
doubt.