Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk was seen with President Trump on his first day in Saudi Arabia. The DOGE chief appeared with other top business leaders for a lunch with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Musk was at the Royal Court for a coffee ceremony, followed by the lunch, when Trump arrived. President Donald Trump and billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, were seen chatting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. They spoke during a reception held for Trump at the start of his four-day visit to the Gulf region – the first international trip of his second administration.
In the video, Trump can be seen introducing Musk to Bin Salman, patting him on the back while the three men chatted for a few minutes.
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Other top business leaders at the Royal Court included FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Elon Musk has served as a key adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has remained a prominent figure alongside Donald Trump since Election Day, frequently accompanying him on Air Force One and attending Cabinet meetings.
Musk’s special government role is scheduled to conclude on May 30. In the meantime, he’s come under increasing pressure from Tesla’s board to resume full leadership of the company after spending several months in Washington heading DOGE. In a recent interview with The Hill and other media outlets, Musk said he plans to scale back his involvement with the White House to just one or two days per week.
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Saudi Arabia's investment commitment includes what the U.S. described as the largest defence sales agreement between the allies, worth nearly $142 billion.
Trump called Mohammed bin Salman a friend and said they’d developed a good relationship. He spoke about visiting Saudi Arabia in 2017 on the first foreign trip of his first term in office.
Trump has said he decided to make Saudi Arabia his first official overseas stop again because of the kingdom’s promise to invest $600 billion in the United States. He joked Tuesday that they could bump it up to $1 trillion.
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“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said.
The US and Saudi Arabia had discussed Riyadh's potential purchase of Lockheed F-35 jets, two sources briefed on discussions told Reuters, referring to a military aircraft that the kingdom is long thought to have been interested in. Trump will go on from Riyadh to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He has not planned a visit to Israel, a choice that has sparked questions about the nation's place in Washington's priorities, especially as the trip emphasizes investment over security issues in the Middle East
(With inputs from agencies)
Musk was at the Royal Court for a coffee ceremony, followed by the lunch, when Trump arrived. President Donald Trump and billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, were seen chatting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. They spoke during a reception held for Trump at the start of his four-day visit to the Gulf region – the first international trip of his second administration.
Musk flaunts Tesla robots
Musk said they showed Tesla Optimus robots to President Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, according to Reuters. He also thanked the Saudi government for approving Starlink for maritime and aviation.In the video, Trump can be seen introducing Musk to Bin Salman, patting him on the back while the three men chatted for a few minutes.
ALSO READ: Did Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh flee after being honey-trapped? His absence sparks buzz
Other top business leaders at the Royal Court included FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Elon Musk has served as a key adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has remained a prominent figure alongside Donald Trump since Election Day, frequently accompanying him on Air Force One and attending Cabinet meetings.
Musk’s special government role is scheduled to conclude on May 30. In the meantime, he’s come under increasing pressure from Tesla’s board to resume full leadership of the company after spending several months in Washington heading DOGE. In a recent interview with The Hill and other media outlets, Musk said he plans to scale back his involvement with the White House to just one or two days per week.
ALSO READ: Andrew Witty steps down as UnitedHealth Group CEO as company fights executive murder, rising costs, and stock crash
Trump's big deal with Saudi
President Trump secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to invest in the United States after the oil power rolled out the red carpet for him at the start of a tour of Gulf states. Trump punched the air as he emerged from Air Force One to be greeted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who later signed an agreement with the president in Riyadh on energy, defence, mining and other areas.Saudi Arabia's investment commitment includes what the U.S. described as the largest defence sales agreement between the allies, worth nearly $142 billion.
Trump called Mohammed bin Salman a friend and said they’d developed a good relationship. He spoke about visiting Saudi Arabia in 2017 on the first foreign trip of his first term in office.
Trump has said he decided to make Saudi Arabia his first official overseas stop again because of the kingdom’s promise to invest $600 billion in the United States. He joked Tuesday that they could bump it up to $1 trillion.
ALSO READ: Are you eligible for Apple's $95 million settlement? Check how to submit claims, deadline and more
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said.
The US and Saudi Arabia had discussed Riyadh's potential purchase of Lockheed F-35 jets, two sources briefed on discussions told Reuters, referring to a military aircraft that the kingdom is long thought to have been interested in. Trump will go on from Riyadh to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He has not planned a visit to Israel, a choice that has sparked questions about the nation's place in Washington's priorities, especially as the trip emphasizes investment over security issues in the Middle East
(With inputs from agencies)
