The Art of the Deal Goes to Riyadh: Trump’s Saudi Gambit and the Shadow of Jared’s $2 Billion Payday
Dude, let’s talk about *optics*. Picture this: Air Force One touches down in Riyadh, and out strides Donald Trump—fresh off “solving” the U.S.-China trade war (or at least pressing pause)—ready to schmooze with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The vibe? Part diplomatic mission, part infomercial for “Trump-branded geopolitics.” Seriously, this wasn’t just a state visit; it was a masterclass in transactional diplomacy, where handshakes came with price tags and “strategic alliances” smelled suspiciously like backroom deals.
The $600 Billion Mirage (or Why Saudi Money Talks)
Trump’s pitch to MBS was pure salesman flair: *”Imagine what Saudi cash could do for America, folks!”* The original ask? A cool *$1 trillion*—because why dream small? Reality check: The Saudis countered with $600 billion over four years, earmarked for AI, energy, and other buzzword-friendly sectors. Cue the press releases about “historic partnerships.” But here’s the kicker: This wasn’t charity. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been on a global shopping spree, snapping up stakes in Uber, Lucid Motors, and—wait for it—Jared Kushner’s fledgling private equity firm to the tune of *$2 billion*. Coincidence? Please. This is the same Jared who brokered Middle East deals as a White House advisor. The *Wall Street Journal* called it “ethically dubious”; I call it *family discount diplomacy*.
Oil, Arms, and the Unspoken Bargain
Let’s not pretend this was *just* about AI startups. The U.S.-Saudi relationship runs on two liquids: oil and money. Trump’s visit reaffirmed the unspoken pact—America gets cheap oil and weapons contracts; Saudi Arabia gets political cover (see: Yemen war, Khashoggi fallout). Remember 2017, when Trump’s first overseas trip as president was to Riyadh, and he posed gleefully with a glowing orb? This sequel was subtler but no less transactional. MBS, eager to rehab his image post-bone-saw scandal, got a photo op with a U.S. president who famously shrugged off human rights concerns. The takeaway? In realpolitik, moral ledger books are *optional*.
The Kushner Connection: Nepo-Diplomacy at Its Finest
Ah, Jared. The Ivy League novice who became Middle East whisperer. Post-White House, his Affinity Partners fund magically attracted PIF cash—despite zero track record and Saudi advisors reportedly calling the investment “unsound.” But when your father-in-law normalized “quid pro quo” as foreign policy, why wouldn’t Riyadh hedge its bets? The $2 billion deal reeks of *soft power laundering*: Saudi money buys influence; Jared gets credibility; Trump’s legacy stays intertwined with Gulf cash. Even Bloomberg admitted it “blurs the line between personal and state interests.” Translation: It’s *all* personal.
The Bigger Game: Trump’s “Economics-First” Foreign Policy
Trump’s Saudi stop wasn’t an outlier—it was a blueprint. His admin treated diplomacy like a mergers-and-acquisitions desk, where allies were “clients” and treaties were “contracts.” The Saudis played along, knowing Trump’s weakness for flashy numbers. But beneath the hype, the visit exposed a paradox: Can money *really* buy stability? The region’s still a tinderbox (Iran, Israel-Palestine, Qatar feud), and no amount of AI investments will fix that. Yet for Trump, the metric was simple: *Deals signed = mission accomplished.*
Epilogue: The Receipts
So what’s the verdict? Trump’s Riyadh jaunt was a microcosm of his presidency—equal parts spectacle, self-interest, and short-term wins. The $600 billion pledge? A PR win. Jared’s windfall? A conflict-of-interest case study. And the U.S.-Saudi alliance? Still standing, but built on sand (literally). As for MBS, he got what he wanted: validation. Because in the end, the art of the deal isn’t about fairness—it’s about who’s holding the checkbook. *Mic drop.*
