UK Edition
Donald Trump hailed a "tremendous day" on Saturday after signing deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars during a visit to Saudi Arabia in which he received a lavish welcome.
Mr Trump arrived with his wife Melania in Riyadh on Saturday morning for a state visit to the Gulf kingdom on the first leg of his debut foreign tour as his administration remained locked in turmoil back home.
"That was a tremendous day. Tremendous investments in the United States," Mr Trump said. "Hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs."
He received an elaborate welcome and was met on the tarmac by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, before holding talks with the monarch and crown princes.
The reception contrasted with some of the cooler welcomes given to his predecessor. The Saudis have invested millions of pounds and significant diplomatic capital in Mr Trump’s visit, to try to reset a relationship that had foundered under Barack Obama.
Mr Trump is in the Middle East seeking allies in the Muslim world for his campaign to defeat Islamist extremism.
He is on Sunday expected to use the biggest speech of his first overseas visit to try to rally the Muslim world to join America in a "battle between good and evil" against Islamist extremism.
The new US president’s keenly-awaited address in Saudi Arabia will urge Arab leaders to "drive out the terrorists from your places of worship," according to leaked early drafts.
Mr Trump will use the symbolism of his visit to the kingdom to try to persuade the Islamic world he is not against it, despite an election campaign that saw him repeatedly disparage Muslims and propose banning them from America.
Mr Trump held talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud at the Royal Court on Saturday morning and then met the Crown Prince and deputy Crown Prince later on.
Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner are also on the trip, with Ivanka due to hold a rountable with Saudi women.
At a ceremony at the grand Saudi Royal Court, the king placed the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud, the nation's highest civilian honor, around Mr Trump's neck. The medal, given to Mr Trump for his efforts to strengthen ties in the region, has also been bestowed on Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.
Mr Trump’s nine-day international debut will see him also stop in Israel, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy.
The kingdom and its neighbouring Gulf monarchies are looking for a renewed US tough line on Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival, Iran, after complaining Mr Obama was too conciliatory while seeking a deal to limit Tehran’s nuclear programme.
One senior Gulf diplomat told the Telegraph that Mr Obama had been guilty of “strategic negligence” by courting Iran at the expense of his traditional Gulf allies. The source said the Arab world had “high hopes” from Mr Trump’s visit.
The visit was accompanied by the announcement of £268bn ($350bn) in business deals, including a massive arms package to the kingdom.
The two leaders signed an £84bn ($110bn) deal for Saudi Arabia to buy American weapons and military equipment. Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State said the deal would help Saudi Arabia defend itself against “malign Iranian influence” and allow it to take a bigger role in counter terrorism operations “reducing the burden on the US military to conduct those operations".
Mr Trump briefly joined Saudi King Salman in a traditional male-only sword dance before a state dinner in his honour on Saturday night.
Swaying side to side, the president stood shoulder to shoulder with Saudis for the traditional dance, which includes drumming and singing.
The menu is to include an array of dishes, including steak and ketchup alongside the lamb and hefty portions of rice.
However the state pageantry of the visit, which is being combined with a gathering of Muslim heads of state from around the world, is unlikely to detract from a growing storm over alleged contact between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Mr Trump touched down only hours after it was reported that he had told Russian officials in the Oval Office that James Comey, the FBI director he recently sacked, was a "crazy nut job" and that firing him had relieved “great pressure”.
Mr Comey had been investigating whether there was collusion between Russia and anyone connected to the Trump campaign during last year's election.
Mr Trump reportedly told Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak: "I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job. I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off. I’m not under investigation."