Under siege in Washington, Trump reaps Saudi arms deal, stronger ties

[rooster59]

Under siege in Washington, Trump reaps Saudi arms deal, stronger ties

By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland

 

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meets with U.S. President Donald Trump during a reception ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

RIYADH (Reuters) - Under political fire at home, U.S. President Donald Trump sealed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia on Saturday on his maiden foreign trip as he struggled to shift attention from the aftermath of his firing of the director of the FBI.

 

The arms deal, plus other investments that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said could total up to $350 billion, was the central achievement of Trump's first day in Riyadh, first stop on a nine-day journey through the Middle East and Europe.

 

Speaking to journalists after a ceremony to exchange agreements, Trump said it was a "tremendous day" and spoke of "hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs. So I would like to thank all of the people of Saudi Arabia."

 

King Salman gave Trump a remarkably warm greeting, meeting him at the steps of Air Force One on arrival, shaking the hand of Trump's wife, Melania, riding with Trump in his limousine and spending most of the day with him.

 

But the political turmoil back in Washington consumed the headlines in the United States and cast a long shadow over the start of Trump's trip, which will include stops in Israel, the Vatican, Italy and Belgium.

 

His firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation head James Comey on May 9 and the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign ties to Russia have raised the question of whether he tried to squelch a probe into allegations of a Russian connection.

 

Fanning the flames was a New York Times report that Trump had called Comey a "nut job" in a private meeting last week in the Oval Office with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The Times quoted briefing notes of the conversation.

 

Amid a mood of frustration, officials on board Trump's Riyadh-bound presidential plane scrambled to coordinate on responding to the story with staff in Washington and those who had just landed in the Saudi capital.

 

Asked for a response, the White House said that for national security reasons, "we do not confirm or deny the authenticity of allegedly leaked classified documents."

 

Russia's Interfax news agency on Saturday quoted Lavrov as saying he had not discussed Comey with Trump. "We did not touch this issue at all," the minister said.

 

In another development, the Washington Post said a White House official close to Trump was a significant "person of interest" in the investigation into possible ties with Russia.

 

Tillerson, asked about the story, said he did not know who the "person of interest" was.

 

Against that backdrop, Trump soldiered through a long day of diplomacy.

 

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir called the results of Trump's meetings with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz "the beginning of a turning point" between the United States, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies.

 

Both he and Tillerson made clear the arms deal was aimed at countering Iran on a day that Hassan Rouhani was re-elected as Iran's president.

 

Tillerson said Rouhani should use his second term to end Iran's ballistic missile testing and stop promoting extremism in a volatile region.

 

He said he had no plans to talk to his Iranian counterpart but that he in all likelihood he would do so "at the right time."

 

Al-Jubeir said Trump and King Salman agreed that action had to be taken to ensure Iran did not continue "aggressive policies in the region."

 

Trump's trip has been billed by the White House as a chance to visit places sacred to three of the world's major religions, while giving him time to meet with Arab, Israeli and European leaders.

 

CONTRAST WITH OBAMA VISIT King Salman gave a more favorable welcome to Trump than he had granted last year to Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, who was seen in the Arab kingdom as soft on Iran and hesitant on Syria. Trump and King Salman seemed at ease with each other, chatting through an interpreter. At the royal al-Yamama palace, the king draped around Trump's neck the King Abdulaziz medal, the country's top civilian honor.

 

At the end of the day, Tillerson and U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, holding swords, were seen participating in a ceremonial dance at Marraba Palace with a Saudi group.

 

As Trump arrived for dinner with the king, a spectacle awaited him: Men dressed in long white turbans and carrying swords swayed and chanted in unison to beating drums in a courtyard. Trump, clearly enjoying himself, smiled and swayed, even seeming to dance a little at the center of the group.

 

SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

 

During their conversation earlier in the day, the king was overheard lamenting the Syrian war. Trump ordered air strikes against a Syrian airfield in April in response to a chemical weapons attack by government forces against civilians. "Syria too used to be one of the most advanced countries. We used to get our professors from Syria. They served our kingdom. Unfortunately, they too brought destruction to their own country. You can destroy a country in mere seconds, but it takes a lot of effort," he said. Trump's response could not be heard. The arms package includes a pledge by the kingdom to assemble 150 Lockheed Martin Blackhawk helicopters in Saudi Arabia, in a $6 billion deal expected to result in about 450 jobs in the kingdom. National oil giant Saudi Aramco was also expected to sign $50 billion of deals with U.S. companies on Saturday, part of a drive to diversify the kingdom's economy beyond oil exports, Aramco's chief executive Amin Nasser said. U.S. technology and engineering conglomerate GE said it had signed $15 billion of agreements with Saudi organisations. Trump is to deliver a speech in Riyadh on Sunday aimed at rallying Muslims in the fight against Islamist militants. He will also attend a summit of Gulf leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council. Shortly after taking office, Trump sought to block people from several Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States, but the travel ban has been blocked by federal courts.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-21

 

[KarenBravo]

At least Iran is a functioning democracy............unlike Saudi Arabia, which is also the birth place of radical Islam (Wahhabi version). 

[Peterw42]

26 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The arms package includes a pledge by the kingdom to assemble 150 Lockheed Martin Blackhawk helicopters in Saudi Arabia, in a $6 billion deal expected to result in about 450 jobs in the kingdom.

Maths may not be my strong point but that appears to be less jobs in America, not more. 

[tomwct]

I'm proud to be an American and a President Trump supporter. On Obama's first trip abroad, he made an apology tour starting in Egypt and he personally invited The Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization and supporter of Hamas. As we know, Egypt was turned upside down and The Muslim Brotherhood took over and then the Army had to retake Egypt from the Terrorist Group a year later. No apologies or excuses this trip. President Trump will tell it like it is. It's good to see that we have a President that has a backbone.

Go President Trump.

[ilostmypassword]

15 minutes ago, tomwct said:

I'm proud to be an American and a President Trump supporter. On Obama's first trip abroad, he made an apology tour starting in Egypt and he personally invited The Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization and supporter of Hamas. As we know, Egypt was turned upside down and The Muslim Brotherhood took over and then the Army had to retake Egypt from the Terrorist Group a year later. No apologies or excuses this trip. President Trump will tell it like it is. It's good to see that we have a President that has a backbone.

Go President Trump.

Trump bows down to Saudi King

[tomwct]

3 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Trump bows down to Saudi King

Yes, to get his Gold medallion. Obama bowed and kissed his ring! 

[boomerangutang]

Similar to the Thai heads, Trump gets a hard-on when doing deals with big ticket weapons.  Too bad none of them give a hoot about environmental issues. '....going to hell in a handbasket' comes to mind.

[KarenBravo]

32 minutes ago, tomwct said:

I'm proud to be an American and a President Trump supporter. On Obama's first trip abroad, he made an apology tour starting in Egypt and he personally invited The Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization and supporter of Hamas. As we know, Egypt was turned upside down and The Muslim Brotherhood took over and then the Army had to retake Egypt from the Terrorist Group a year later. No apologies or excuses this trip. President Trump will tell it like it is. It's good to see that we have a President that has a backbone.

Go President Trump.

Oh, the irony!

 

President Trump has — for the time being — put on the back burner an executive order designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, according to U.S. officials close to a heated debate inside the administration over the status of the global Islamist movement.

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/27/muslim-brotherhood-listing-as-terror-group-delayed/

[Grouse]

16 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Trump bows down to Saudi King

Looks like a curtsy to me

[tonray]

What a <deleted> joke......Trump supporters loving Trump after he kowtows to the largest sponsor of 'radical ISLAM' in the world.....OMG what side splitter...cannot wait for Saturday night Live this week....5555555555555555

[KarenBravo]

40 minutes ago, tomwct said:

 

Go President Trump.

Something we can both agree on........he should go.

[maewang99]

and they say women get excited by money.... money money money.

yeah, our relationship with Saudi Arabia..... I like the word 'relationship' here, it's quite apropro.... is based on money... and kisses.

what else comes to mind?

 

oh yeah, Obama didn't fully respect that 'relationship'. well, I don't either. I still remember 9-11. I'm a different kind of New Yorker.

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by maewang99

[metisdead]

A post containing content from an unattributed source has been removed. 

[Peterw42]

http://nypost.com/2016/07/15/yes-the-saudi-government-helped-the-911-terrorists/

[Lupatria]

Yesterday I read:

Now its afternoon already and still no new Trump scandal revealed today. Who is looking around for him, to check whether he is OK?

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Trump bows down to Saudi King

No, no... you have to turn around before grasping your ankles.

[KarenBravo]

Frankly, I think if the US can get past the Hostage Crisis, Iran would be a better ally than S.A. It has oil and is at least a democracy. It is closer and more influential in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes, they have sponsored terrorism, but, that accusation can also be leveled at S.A.

 

Just a thought......

[Fulwell53]

2 hours ago, tomwct said:

I'm proud to be an American and a President Trump supporter. On Obama's first trip abroad, he made an apology tour starting in Egypt and he personally invited The Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization and supporter of Hamas. As we know, Egypt was turned upside down and The Muslim Brotherhood took over and then the Army had to retake Egypt from the Terrorist Group a year later. No apologies or excuses this trip. President Trump will tell it like it is. It's good to see that we have a President that has a backbone.

Go President Trump.

'Trump tells it like it is'

OOh please stop me sides are splitting

?????

SSelling arms to the saudis is the commercial equivalent ( in terms of difficulty and complexity ) of selling a bag of premium drugs to a strung out junky with pockets full of cash.

Saudi and kuwait rely upon and need the usa to keep the barbarians from the gate. Spend some of their billions on war toys they neither need nor have the technical know how to use and this appeases us interests.

Simple quid pro quo with the emphasis on 'quid'.

Any who believes trump deserves kudos or whatever from this still believes in the tooth fairy.

My god I would have loved to have seen trump take on j edgar hoover.

What a blood bath that would have been .

The big fat hairpiece would be in bits.

[Fulwell53]

45 minutes ago, Lupatria said:

Yesterday I read:

Now its afternoon already and still no new Trump scandal revealed today. Who is looking around for him, to check whether he is OK?

Dick cheney

[mamypoko]

As a proud American, I'm less than proud of LESS than half of our electorate. 

[Andaman Al]

3 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Trump bows down to Saudi King

Caption Competition:

 

"Now take this Gold Trinket and always remember when it hangs in your bathroom with the Golden Toilet - It was awarded to you by the Head of State of the country that spawned 16 of the 19 Hi-Jackers that brought down your World Trade Buildings - I hope the subsequent real estate opportunities in New York were satisfactory."

 

OR

 

"This will help you forget all those nasty American fake media people that keep saying our country is top of the human rights abusers list".

 

OR

 

"Ah a curtsey - this kind of jewellery always brings out the feminine side"

[iReason]

The groveling inept one flailing away with a sword while "dancing" with our freedom loving friends in Saudi Arabia:

{Along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross)

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by iReason

[Andaman Al]

1 hour ago, Lupatria said:

Yesterday I read:

Now its afternoon already and still no new Trump scandal revealed today. Who is looking around for him, to check whether he is OK?

The Saudi habit of censorship of communications and social media routing out of the country will be a huge safety net to Trump.

[ilostmypassword]

45 minutes ago, Fulwell53 said:

'Trump tells it like it is'

OOh please stop me sides are splitting

?????

SSelling arms to the saudis is the commercial equivalent ( in terms of difficulty and complexity ) of selling a bag of premium drugs to a strung out junky with pockets full of cash.

Saudi and kuwait rely upon and need the usa to keep the barbarians from the gate. Spend some of their billions on war toys they neither need nor have the technical know how to use and this appeases us interests.

Simple quid pro quo with the emphasis on 'quid'.

Any who believes trump deserves kudos or whatever from this still believes in the tooth fairy.

My god I would have loved to have seen trump take on j edgar hoover.

What a blood bath that would have been .

The big fat hairpiece would be in bits.

Actually, the Saudis are the barbarians at the gate.

[iReason]

Melania Trump takes centre stage in Saudi Arabia –without a head scarf 

 

"Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Melania Trump debuted on the foreign stage on Saturday, stepping off Air Force One in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, without a head scarf or abaya, the traditional black gown the country requires for most women."

 

"Donald Trump criticised Michelle Obama for her decision, saying at the time that the people of Saudi Arabia "were insulted."

 

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/celebrity-news/melania-trump-takes-centre-stage-in-saudi-arabia-without-a-head-scarf-20170520-gw9i99.html

 

 

The clown that just keeps on giving...  

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, tomwct said:

I'm proud to be an American and a President Trump supporter. On Obama's first trip abroad, he made an apology tour starting in Egypt and he personally invited The Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization and supporter of Hamas. As we know, Egypt was turned upside down and The Muslim Brotherhood took over and then the Army had to retake Egypt from the Terrorist Group a year later. No apologies or excuses this trip. President Trump will tell it like it is. It's good to see that we have a President that has a backbone.

Go President Trump.

You are living in a dream. Trump will never "tell it like it is" because he doesn't know how it is. The most ignorant and incoherent US President in history has another claim to fame - his penchant for doing U-turns. This groveling pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, one of the most barbaric countries in the world and an avid supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and IS, is just the latest example.

 

As a Presidential candidate, he attacked Muslim fundamentalism of the kind practiced in Saudi Arabia and accused the country's leadership of involvement in the 9/11 attacks. Yet this did not prevent him registering eight companies tied to hotel interests in Saudi Arabia in the midst of his Saudi-bashing presidential campaign - or, earlier, selling a suite of the Trump World Tower to Saudis.

 

It is purely as a salesman - looking to clinch arms deals with Lockheed Martin and other weapons systems manufacturers worth 350 billion dollars  - that Trump will be tugging a blond forelock in deference to the bearded bunch of butchers who run the repressive Wahabi state.

 

It is bitterly ironic that a man elected on a platform of draining the fetid US swamp of political corruption and corporate influence should so quickly and enthusiastically volunteer for total immersion. But seeing - unlike hearing what the man says he stands for - is believing.

 

 

 

[iReason]

 

 

Must have been the curtsy. 

[harada]

3 hours ago, NanLaew said:

No, no... you have to turn around before grasping your ankles.

And bleat like a little goat. 

[fish monger]

6 hours ago, Grouse said:

Looks like a curtsy to me

It WAS a curtsy...Watch the video...Such an idiot...!  The circus is just beginning...Hope all of his supporters enjoy cold crow pie...It's a extra large...!

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by fish monger

[jvs]

2 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

You are living in a dream. Trump will never "tell it like it is" because he doesn't know how it is. The most ignorant and incoherent US President in history has another claim to fame - his penchant for doing U-turns. This groveling pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, one of the most barbaric countries in the world and an avid supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and IS, is just the latest example.

 

As a Presidential candidate, he attacked Muslim fundamentalism of the kind practiced in Saudi Arabia and accused the country's leadership of involvement in the 9/11 attacks. Yet this did not prevent him registering eight companies tied to hotel interests in Saudi Arabia in the midst of his Saudi-bashing presidential campaign - or, earlier, selling a suite of the Trump World Tower to Saudis.

 

It is purely as a salesman - looking to clinch arms deals with Lockheed Martin and other weapons systems manufacturers worth 350 billion dollars  - that Trump will be tugging a blond forelock in deference to the bearded bunch of butchers who run the repressive Wahabi state.

 

It is bitterly ironic that a man elected on a platform of draining the fetid US swamp of political corruption and corporate influence should so quickly and enthusiastically volunteer for total immersion. But seeing - unlike hearing what the man says he stands for - is believing.

 

 

 

Comments like yours just make me wonder how long it will be before Americans are getting killed by these weapons.

I hope not.