The News
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have already made massive pledges to invest in the US prior to President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit next week — and now Qatar is stepping up. The gas-rich country is planning to order around 100 Boeing widebody planes, Bloomberg reported, after the White House “made clear it would like similar commitments from Qatar” as other Gulf states.
Trump has asked Saudi Arabia to commit $1 trillion to the US, but the kingdom has so far offered $600 billion in trade and investment over the next four years. The UAE plans to invest $1.4 trillion in the US in the next decade. Including the proposed Boeing deals — other regional carriers are also considering buying American planes — as well as weapons purchases and other investments in technology, energy, and infrastructure, Trump’s haul on this trip will dwarf the $400 billion in deals Saudi signed during Trump’s visit in 2017.
Separately, Trump plans to announce that the US will officially refer to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia, The Associated Press reports, a move that will please Arabs and antagonize Iranians.