President Donald Trump—who famously likes to tout his “beautiful hair”—was met in Abu Dhabi with a welcome that gave his locks some serious competition.
After arriving at Qasr Al Watan, the United Arab Emirates’ presidential palace, on Thursday, Trump was greeted with a traditional Al-Ayyala performance.
Accompanied by President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Trump was led through a formation of women dramatically hair-flipping in sync with drums and chants.
He watched blankly as the dancers flipped their long hair left to right, before defaulting to his signature fist-pump. A video of the scene posted by White House aide Margo Martin quickly went viral on X.
Al-Ayyala is often performed during weddings and other festive occasions, both in the UAE and Oman, and has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The performance traditionally features two rows of about twenty men facing one another, each holding thin bamboo sticks that represent spears or swords in a stylized battle scene, according to UNESCO. They chant poetic lyrics to the beat of drums while two rows of women toss their hair in unison.
Trump has been eager to dispel persistent rumors that he wears a toupee, going so far as to ask people to touch his hair to prove it. Last month, he said, “I like to take a nice shower to take care of my beautiful hair,” while announcing an executive order aimed at rolling back water efficiency rules.
The UAE marks the final stop of Trump’s Middle East tour, following visits to Qatar and Saudi Arabia earlier this week. In each of the oil-rich countries, he was met with over-the-top fanfare: in Doha, his motorcade was flanked by a cavalry of red Tesla Cybertrucks, while Riyadh greeted him with a 21-gun salute.
Trump, who claimed to have locked down hundreds of billions of dollars in investment with the Saudi government, is only the second sitting U.S. president to visit the UAE, following George W. Bush in 2008.
The post WATCH: Trump Welcomed With Unusual Hair-Flipping Dance in UAE appeared first on The Daily Beast.
