The second Trump administration is hitting the ground running…
During a recent phone call, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman told President Donald Trump he’s willing to expand investments and trade with the U.S. in the coming four years by $600 billion, according to the kingdom’s state-run news agency SPA.
Bloomberg News reported that the crown prince, known as MBS, spoke to the American president in a congratulatory phone call on Wednesday.
During the call, Prince Mohammed said the kingdom was eager to seize partnership and investment opportunities created by the new administration’s anticipated reforms, which could achieve “unprecedented economic prosperity.”
SPA did not provide further details on the deal or the new reforms.
The commitment is large, even by the standards of oil-rich Saudi Arabia. It amounts to around 55% of the country’s gross domestic product.
The two leaders were close during Trump’s first term, when the president’s first overseas trip was to Saudi Arabia and the announcement could further bolster ties with the U.S. Earlier this week, Trump said that was because the kingdom had agreed to a substantial investment in U.S. goods, including weaponry.
Trump, hours after his inauguration on Monday, told reporters he’d be happy to visit Saudi Arabia again if it wanted to buy “another $450 billion or $500 billion” worth of U.S. products.
According to the Saudi report, the two leaders also discussed cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, and to fight terrorism.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also spoke to the crown prince overnight. Rubio said he looked forward to “advancing shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and beyond.”
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