Trump trumpeted Saudi business deals as he basks in royal welcome 

RIYADH, May 13: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday trumpeted major business deals with Saudi Arabia as he basked in a lavish royal welcome on the first state visit of his second term.

The Saudi hosts escorted Air Force One into the kingdom with fighter jets before bringing out long-stretching guards of honour and sending flag-waving cavalry to accompany Trump's motorcade to the palace.

Under imposing chandeliers, Trump welcomed a promise by Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for $600 billion in investment and quipped that it should be $1 trillion.
"We have the biggest business leaders in the world here today and they're going to walk away with a lot of cheques," Trump told the prince.

For "the United States, it's probably two million jobs that we're talking about," Trump said.

With cameras rolling, a lengthy procession of Saudi royalty and business figures waited their turn to shake hands with Trump and the crown prince, including Elon Musk, the world's richest person and close advisor to Trump, who made a rare appearance in a suit. �"AFP