Trump starts ‘last chance’ tour with £85bn Saudi deal
PRESIDENT Donald Trump signed a record-breaking £85 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia last night as he embarked on a ‘make or break’ first foreign tour.
Mr Trump and First Lady Melania, in a striking black jumpsuit and statement gold belt, her hair uncovered, were given a royal welcome by Saudi King Salman as they began the nineday tour after another chaotic week in Washington.
A White House source said: ‘This trip is a chance for Trump to hit the reset button and be viewed as a leader on the world stage. It’s make or break for him, after the disastrous weeks of scandals at home.
‘This is one of the largest arms deals in history and the Saudi welcome is unprecedented.’
Melania raised eyebrows by refusing to cover her hair with a headscarf in the strict Muslim country. Trump lashed out at Michelle Obama when she refused to cover her head during a 2015 visit, tweeting: ‘Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted. We have enuf (sic) enemies.’
Mr Obama – unpopular in the region for his views on human rights – was given a frosty welcome on his final visit to the state last year and was met only by a provincial governor and a handful of staff.
By contrast, the Trumps were greeted by the entire royal family and court and enjoyed a welcome complete with military bands, fly past and a glittering state dinner last night.
‘The new President is enormously popular with the Arabs because he is focusing on trade and the fight against Islamic State,’ the source added.
His trip comes amid chaos in the US following his firing of FBI director James Comey, who he called ‘a nut job’.
Comey, who led a probe into alleged ties between the Trump administration and Russia, is to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which many experts say will be ‘devastating’ for the President.
One told CNN: ‘Comey is likely to tear Trump apart in the most public and humiliating way possible.’
Last night reports emerged that Trump is set to hire a criminal lawyer to fight accusations that he fired Comey to prevent the ‘truth’ about his links with Russia coming out.
The President travels to Israel tomorrow. On Tuesday he heads to the Vatican before leaving for a Nato summit in Brussels.
His last stop is the G7 summit in Sicily at the end of the week, where he is expected to meet Theresa May.