U.S. President, Donald Trump kicked off his four day tour of the Middle East in Riyadh today, attending the Saudi Investment Forum hosted by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
The forum featured discussions on economic partnerships and investments between the U.S. and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The White House later announced a commitment by Riyadh to invest $600 billion following various agreements between the two countries.
The gathering also underscored the importance of international collaboration in driving economic growth and innovation, with the advancement of AI high on the agenda. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman were among a multitude of business leaders attending the event. Musk’s attendance highlighted a growing trend between tech leaders and global diplomatic events.
Other attendees included BlackRock CEO, Larry Fink and Blackstone Group CEO Steve Schwarzman, who also spoke at the forum.
Washington said the investment package would boost “energy security, defense industry, technology leadership, and access to global infrastructure and critical minerals.”
