President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would cease sanctions against war-torn Syria “in order to give them a chance at greatness,” as he seeks to strengthen ties to Saudi Arabia and others.
“Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince,” Trump said as Mohammed bin Salman, seated in the front row, crossed his arms over his chest in an expression of gratitude.
“It’s their time to shine,” Trump added. “Good luck, Syria. Show us something very special, like they’ve done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia, okay? They’re going to show us something special. Very good people.”
In his speech, Trump presented Middle Eastern leaders with a vision for the future steeped in prosperity, business deals and technological advances, which the president treated as an antidote to historic divisions.
His rhetoric stood in contrast to the words of former President Joe Biden, who deemed the kingdom “a pariah” before taking office and struggled to regain diplomatic footing with Saudi leaders during his presidency.
Instead, Trump offered an image of rising regional powers steeped in homegrown economic self-development, while holding up his host as a model.
“I stood here envisioning a Middle East that would eradicate terrorism and extremism, rising as one of the world’s proudest, most prosperous, and successful regions,” Trump declared to a gathering of the world’s business elite and Saudi leaders at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum. The event, which was held at King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, included members of his Cabinet and adviser Elon Musk, as well as executives from Palantir, Uber, Google, Amazon and more.
Addressing the crown prince directly, Trump asked, “Mohammed, do you sleep at night? Or are you up, restless, thinking, ‘How do I make it even better?’” Earlier, the two leaders signed a landmark $600 billion investment agreement, marking a high point of the day’s ceremonial events.
As Trump offered heavy flattery to his host, he also took aim at his predecessors in Washington, jabbing at listless leaders whom he called “the ones that don’t toss and turn,” and “that will never take you to the promised land.”
He said too many American presidents found themselves afflicted by the notion “that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins.” He rejected the notion that U.S. policy should judge foreign leaders’ morals, advocating instead for pragmatic cooperation to drive progress.
And Trump swiped at destructive forces in the region, citing Iran’s leadership as the most damaging of all, causing “unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and beyond” — even as his administration seeks to strike a deal with Iranian leaders over their nuclear programs.
The post Trump says the U.S. will end sanctions on Syria as he works to deepen diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia appeared first on NBC News.
