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Under Fire At Home, Trump Gets Warm Welcome In Saudi

Dogged by controversy at home, U.S. President Donald Trump won a warm reception in Saudi Arabia on Saturday but struggled to shift attention from the … Continue reading Under Fire At Home, Trump Gets Warm Welcome In Saudi


Trump Willing To Work With Russia And ChinaDogged by controversy at home, U.S. President Donald Trump won a warm reception in Saudi Arabia on Saturday but struggled to shift attention from the political firestorm over his firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

A $110 billion deal in which Saudi Arabia will buy U.S. arms to help it counter Iran, with options running as high as $350 billion over 10 years, was the central achievement of Trump’s first day in Riyadh, first stop on a nine-day journey through the Middle East and Europe.

Speaking to journalists after a ceremony to exchange agreements, Trump said it was a “tremendous day” and expressed his thanks to Saudi Arabia, but the turmoil back home consumed the headlines and cast a long shadow over his first foreign trip as president.

He said, “It was a tremendous day, I just want to thank everybody. Tremendous investments in the United States and our military community is very happy and we want to thank you and Saudi Arabia, about hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs.

“So I would like to thank all of the people of Saudi Arabia and I would also like to thank Rex. And Rex is going to go now with you folks and have a news conference. Thank you all very much.”

The arms deal, plus other investments that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said could total up to $350 billion, was the central achievement of Trump’s first day in Riyadh, first stop on a nine-day journey through the Middle East and Europe.

But the political turmoil back in Washington consumed the headlines in the United States and cast a long shadow over the start of Trump’s trip, which will include stops in Israel, the Vatican, Italy and Belgium.