Trump eyes visit to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar next month

US President Donald Trump is planning to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May to sign a major investment agreement, marking his first foreign trip of his second term. Stops in Qatar and the UAE are also expected.

“It could be next month, maybe a little later,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier this week.

Sources familiar with the matter said mid-May is under consideration for the visit, according to Reuters. Trump made Saudi Arabia and Israel his first overseas stops during his initial term in 2017.

The president said the trip will centre on securing more than $1tn in investment into the US economy, including large-scale military equipment purchases.

“Tremendous jobs will be created in those two or three days,” he said.

He indicated that similar agreements could be signed in Qatar and the UAE.

The planned tour underscores Trump’s push to strengthen economic and geopolitical ties with key Gulf partners early in his second term.

In January, Trump asked Saudi Arabia to spend upwards of $1tn in the US economy, over four years, including purchases of military equipment.

This was followed by the UAE last month announcing a commitment to a 10-year, $1.4tn investment framework in the United States after top UAE officials met with President Trump.

The White House said the investment framework would “substantially increase the UAE’s existing investments in the US economy” in AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing.