Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced on Thursday that the kingdom plans to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years. His remarks, reported by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, followed President Donald Trump’s mention of potentially making Saudi Arabia his first foreign trip since re-entering office.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the crown prince expressed the kingdom’s commitment to expanding investments and trade with the U.S., aiming for $600 billion and possibly more. The statement did not specify the areas where these investments would be directed. In recent years, the U.S. has reduced its reliance on Saudi oil, historically a cornerstone of their relationship. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth funds have made significant investments in American companies and ventured into sectors like sports.
The White House or any other officer did not release an immediate statement on the call, and it remains unclear whether this was president Donald Trump’s first conversation with a foreign leader since his return to the presidency. However, it was the first to be publicly reported by the media.
The crown prince, who is considered the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, also spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday.
Earlier in the week, Trump discussed the possibility of visiting Saudi Arabia again as his first trip abroad, similar to his 2017 visit. He noted that the 2017 visit occurred because Saudi Arabia had agreed to purchase $450 billion worth of U.S. products. “If Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another $450 billion or $500 billion — factoring in inflation — I think I’d probably go,” Trump said during a conversation in the Oval Office.
Trump’s 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia coincided with the beginning of a yearslong boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia.
