Walking through the lavish palaces of Riyadh, surrounded by royalty and riches that dwarf his own, and brushing shoulders with a leader who does not have to concern himself with courts and judges, Donald Trump appeared to be living his dream.
There were many reasons for Trump to visit Saudi Arabia this week, but for a man who has declared his desire to be both a dictator and a monarch, the chance to experience both up close stood above them all.
The royal treatment began before his plane had even touched the ground, when Saudi F-15 fighter jets appeared alongside the president’s plane and escorted it as it came into land at King Khalid International Airport. He stepped off the jet to be greeted by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and a line of Saudi dignitaries, walked along an endless lavender carpet watched over by an honor guard with golden swords, onto a motorcade that was escorted by riders on Arabian horses, emerging from his car at the Royal Court to the sound of horns.
"I really believe we like each other a lot," Trump said of the prince as they sat on golden chairs at the royal palace.
The president was clearly impressed.
“What a great place, what a great place,” he said later at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in front of a giant screen showing U.S. and Saudi flags, where he continued to praise the Crown Prince.
“He's an incredible man. Known him a long time now. There's nobody like him,” Trump said of the man who, just a few years ago, U.S. intelligence agencies blamed for the killing of an American journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
“We have great partners in the world, but we have none stronger and nobody like the gentleman that’s right before me…I like him a lot. I like him too much. That’s why we give so much,” he said.
Trump’s embrace of Saudi Arabia is all the more significant coming after he all but abandoned or sparked disputes with many of America’s traditional democratic allies in Europe.
The message couldn’t be clearer: This administration is not here to lecture about human rights or democracy - it is here to make money.
Trump arrived on stage to his usual entry music — Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” — which seemed somewhat out of place. He left to his usual exit music, which seemed extremely out of place — The Village People’s “YMCA.”
In the evening, Trump was treated to a lavish state dinner in the historic city of Diriyah, just above Riyadh.
Trump has tried to build his own version of a royal dynasty back home for years. He bought a faux palace, covered the White House in gold trim, and even made a solid effort at getting rid of democracy altogether.
Just before leaving for the Middle East on a tour of oil-rich monarchies, the president announced that he would accept a gift of a plane from Qatar — a $400 million “palace in the sky” that would eventually replace Air Force One.
That was too brazen even for his supporters who stayed with him through the insurrection and the rape trials. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer who wields a Rasputin-like influence over the president, called the acceptance of the gift a “stain” on the administration. Even Josh Hawley of Missouri, Trump’s ride-or-die in the Senate, wasn’t keen on the idea.
Like the Saudi Royal Family, Trump’s own family’s financial interests were seemingly intertwined with the state’s on this visit. The Trumps have significant pending deals with Saudi companies in real estate and cryptocurrency.
Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, recently announced a high-rise Trump hotel in Saudi and a sprawling Trump golf course in Qatar.
The president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had previously secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, which is overseen by the crown prince himself.
While Trump’s family did not come with him on this tour, he did bring with him a full royal court of friendly business leaders and CEOs who hope to drum up their own investments and deals along the way.
At the top of the list was Elon Musk, a wannabe prince of darkness, who was joined by oil executives, bankers, private military contractors, the chiefs of Coca-Cola and Uber, and American defense contractors from Halliburton, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.
Musk used the opportunity to pitch two of his ideas that have largely failed to make a dent in the U.S. — robotaxis and his tunneling company.
Trump heads to Qatar next to take a look at his palace in the sky. He will then return home with memories of parades, honor guards, lavish ceremonies and likely a greater hunger for the royal life.
That could mean more gold trim at the White House, or fewer judges to get in his way.
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