Saudis Welcome Trump’s Rebuff of Obama’s Mideast Views -
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and PETER BAKERMAY 20, 2017
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — With trumpets blaring, cannons booming
and fighter jets streaking overhead trailed by red, white and blue contrails, President Trump arrived in the scorching heat of the Arabian desert on Saturday hoping to realign the politics and diplomacy of the Middle East by forcefully reasserting American support for Sunni Muslim countries and Israel against Iran’s Shiite-led government.
Mr. Trump himself had little to say publicly on Saturday, calling his first stop of his trip “a tremendous day”
that would bring “hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs.”
During two days here, the president is set to meet with dozens of leaders from the Persian Gulf
and the wider Muslim world as he seeks to shape a new Middle East coalition.
One senior White House official said the president hoped to “reset” both the global fight against Islamist terrorism
and his own reputation for intolerance of Muslims, which was fueled by his campaign call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” After taking office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order to temporarily block visitors from some predominantly Muslim countries, but courts have blocked it pending a legal review.
“Traditional Arab allies welcome the U. S. back because they believe it is largely on their terms: a U. S.
that is clearly anti-Iran and anti-political Islam, a U. S. that de-emphasizes political reform and human rights, a U. S. that is in business mode and a White House that seems more accessible than in the past eight years,” said Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Mr. Trump is the only sitting president to make Saudi Arabia the first stop on his inaugural, nine-day trip overseas.
