Trump of Arabia

This is my Grok-generated photo of a happy gold-trimmed Donald Trump in Arabia

I so enjoyed a headline in The Daily Telegraph, “The Middle East is Donald Trump’s Happy Place.”

When the President landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a whirlwind visit to the Middle East, he arrived in his happy spot.

The stakes could not be higher across the region. The conflict continues in Gaza, and the Houthis still launch missiles from Yemen. Israel is making noises about attacking Iran, and there are oil, trade and investment talks under way.

Yet, as the Telegraph article also pointed out, Trump is avoiding the hotspots by stopping at three rich Gulf states crucial to Washington’s regional strategy.

And, oh, how Trump glories in the pomp and opulence!

As a builder he marvels at the marble and gold halls. For him the whole experience is eye candy.

He received a hero’s welcome from the Saudi Crown Prince and is also being feted by leaders in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of whom have cash to invest in the US.

Trump also met in Saudi Arabia with the Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, known as a terrorist by his former nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. This marked the first direct encounter between American and Syrian leaders in a quarter century. Who knows? There’s talk of normalization of relations with Israel, and Trump could be Israel’s best ambassador.

Many Israelis decried Trump’s lack of stopover with them in this itinerary. All politicians are continually subject to any number of temptations and evils, but at this point I don’t see Trump as a turncoat. He’s a strategist doing his own style of shuttle diplomacy for US trade as well as the Abraham Accords, one of the fondest memories of his previous Administration . . . . and loving it.

Of course, if he had brought Melania along, the diplomacy would be even more spectacular. Somehow Trump’s uniform of dark suit and colorful tie lacks the pizzazz he craves when he stands alongside the long-robed Arabs. I hope somebody has the presence of mind to present him with a sheik’s robe, such as I envisioned in the above Grok-generated photo.

According to Jon Alterman, senior vice-president of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, “It’s hard for me to escape the idea that President Trump is going to the Gulf because this is his happy place. His hosts will be generous and hospitable. They’ll be keen to make deals.”

Mexico or Canada had been the first or second foreign destination for almost every US president since the Second World War. But said Alterman, “The Gulf itself is a developer’s dream, with mangrove swamps and sand dunes transformed into glittering complexes of malls, apartments, and fountains – often owned by people with connections to the rulers. . . in the president’s mind, this is the world as it should be.”

The Saudi Crown Prince has promised $600 billion for the United States during the next four years, a number Mr Trump says he wants to double. In Qatar, the US president is expected to seal hundreds of billions of dollars in deals.

Of course, the usual critics see the trip not just as profit for America but also as personal gain. But after all Trump and his family have suffered, after all the calumny and treachery to try to keep him off the ballot, I frankly don’t care if the Trump Organization also builds a luxury golf resort in Qatar, Dubai or Saudi Arabia. That’s a lot more straightforward than the dishonest gain acquired by the so-called Biden crime family.

And what about the Abraham Accords? They can only be strengthened by Trump's friendliness. Although many still see him as a buffoon, in such a diplomatic mission he is as wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove. Trump has a very long reach. He has proven time and again that he will meet with any tyrant or enemy to avoid warfare.

And as for Abraham’s descendants, it takes me to my own happy place of Isaiah 19 to see all the children of Abraham headed toward a Millennium of peace under Messiah’s soon rule. When Jesus returns the Arabs will come up to worship the King in Jerusalem. . . .

In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.

In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:

Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. (Isaiah 19: 23-25)

To contact Christine Darg, click here.