Move over, Elon Musk — President Donald Trump on Tuesday put his heart on the line for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman:
“I like you too much!”
“The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country. … As long as I’m up here, you’re hotter.”
“Oh, what I do for the crown prince.”
The Saudis feted Trump at the forum in the capital of Riyadh — the president’s first overseas trip of his second term, a trip to the Middle East that is focused on announcing and praising economic deals — and he responded in kind:
“For the first time in a thousand years, the world will look at this region,” Trump said, “as a land of opportunity and hope.”
“The golden age of the Middle East can proceed right alongside of us,” he added.
As he praised the economic opportunities in the Middle East — a region where the president has significant business interests, such as a branding deal for a Trump Tower in Riyadh — Trump gave numerous shoutouts to bin Salman.
“Do you sleep at night? How do you sleep? Just thinking. What a job,” the president said.
Bin Salman, also known as MBS, is the de-facto autocratic ruler of the country and has been accused of human rights abuses, including ordering the butchering of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump at the forum also announced that he would move to terminate sanctions on Syria, in the wake of the end of the Assad regime last year, which he implied he was doing at the crown prince’s request.
