The Steady Drip: Trump, Crown Prince Sign $600B Economic Deal (Connecting the Dots: Saudi Arabia, Rotana Group, News Corp, Papal Knighthood, BlackRock, UNESCO, Blackstone Group, Atlantic Council & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Trump, Crown Prince Sign $600B Economic Deal (Connecting the Dots: Saudi Arabia, Rotana Group, News Corp, Papal Knighthood, BlackRock, UNESCO, Blackstone Group, Atlantic Council & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

Tuesday, 13 May 2025 10:29 AM EDT

https://www.newsmax.com/us/economic-partnership-energy/2025/05/13/id/1210732/

President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MbS, signed a $600 billion strategic economic partnership agreement in Riyadh during Trump's regional visit Tuesday.

The partnership includes agreements for energy, mining, and defense.

Trump was kicking off a four-day Middle East trip with a focus on dealmaking with a key Mideast ally while shared concerns about Iran's nuclear program and the war in Gaza dragged on in the background.

MbS, the Saudi de facto ruler, warmly greeted Trump as he stepped off Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital. The two leaders then retreated to a grand hall at the Riyadh airport, where Trump and his aides were served traditional Arabic coffee by waiting attendants wearing ceremonial gun belts.

"I really believe we like each other a lot," Trump said later during a brief appearance with the crown prince at the start of a bilateral meeting.

They later signed more than a dozen agreements to increase cooperation between their governments' militaries, justice departments and cultural institutions. Additional economic agreements were expected to be inked later Tuesday at a U.S.-Saudi investment conference convened for the occasion.

Prince Mohammed has already committed to some $600 billion in new Saudi investment in the U.S., but Trump teased $1 trillion would be even better.

The pomp began before Trump even landed. Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s provided an honorary escort for Air Force One as it approached the kingdom's capital — an exceptionally rare sight.

Trump and Prince Mohammed also took part in a formal greeting and lunch at the Royal Court at Al Yamamah Palace, gathering with guests and aides in an ornate room with blue and gold accents and massive crystal chandeliers.

As he greeted business titans with Trump by his side, Prince Mohammed was animated and smiling.

It was a stark contrast to his awkward fist bump with then-President Joe Biden, who looked to avoid being seen on camera shaking hands with the prince during a 2022 visit to the kingdom.

Biden had decided to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia as he looked to alleviate soaring prices at the pump for motorists at home and around the globe. At the time, Prince Mohammed's reputation had been badly damaged by a U.S. intelligence determination that found he had ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

But that dark moment appeared to be distant memory for the prince as he rubbed elbows with high-profile business executives — including Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — in front of the cameras and with Trump by his side.

Later, the crown prince will fete Trump with an intimate state dinner at Ad-Diriyah, a UNESCO heritage site that is the birthplace of the first Saudi state and the site of a major development project championed by the crown prince.

Saudi Arabia and fellow OPEC+ nations have already helped their cause with Trump early in his second term by stepping up oil production. Trump sees cheap energy as a key component to lowering costs and stemming inflation for Americans. The Republican president has also made the case that lower oil prices will hasten an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

But Saudi Arabia's economy remains heavily dependent on oil, and the kingdom needs a fiscal break-even oil price of $96 to $98 a barrel to balance its budget. It's questionable how long OPEC+, of which Saudi Arabia is the leading member, is willing to keep production elevated. The price of a barrel of Brent crude closed Monday at $64.77.

Trump picked the kingdom for his first stop, because it has pledged to make big investments in the U.S., but he ended up traveling to Italy last month for Pope Francis' funeral. Riyadh was the first overseas stop of his first term.

The three countries on Trump's itinerary — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are places where the Trump Organization, run by Trump's two oldest sons, is developing major real estate projects. They include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai and a golf course and villa complex in Qatar.

Trump is trying to demonstrate that his transactional strategy for international politics is paying dividends as he faces criticism from Democrats who say his global tariff war and approach to Russia's war on Ukraine are isolating the U.S. from allies.

He's expected to announce deals with the three wealthy countries that will touch on artificial intelligence, expanding energy cooperation and perhaps new arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The administration this month announced initial approval to sell $3.5 billion worth of air-to-air missiles for Saudi Arabia's fighter jets.

But Trump arrived in the Middle East when his top regional allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are far from neatly aligned with his approach.

Before the trip, Trump announced Washington was halting a nearly two-month U.S. airstrike campaign against Yemen's Houthis, saying the Iran-backed rebels have pledged to stop attacking ships along a vital global trade route.

The administration didn't notify Israel — which the Houthis continue to target — of the agreement before Trump publicly announced it. It was the latest example of Trump leaving the Israelis in the dark about his administration's negotiations with common adversaries.

In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not notified by the administration until after talks began with Hamas about the war in Gaza. And Netanyahu found out about the ongoing U.S. nuclear talks with Iran only when Trump announced them during an Oval Office visit by the Israeli leader last month.

"Israel will defend itself by itself," Netanyahu said last week following Trump's Houthi truce announcement. "If others join us — our American friends — all the better."

William Wechsler, senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, said Trump's decision to skip Israel on his first Middle East visit is remarkable.

"The main message coming out of this, at least as the itinerary stands today, is that the governments of the Gulf ... are in fact stronger friends to President Trump than the current government of Israel at this moment," Wechsler said.

Trump, meanwhile, hopes to restart his first-term effort to normalize relations between the Middle East's major powers, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Trump's Abraham Accords effort led to Sudan, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco agreeing to normalize relations with Israel.

But Riyadh has made clear that in exchange for normalization it wants U.S. security guarantees, assistance with the kingdom's nuclear program and progress on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. There seems to be scant hope for making headway on a Palestinian state with the Israel-Hamas war raging and the Israelis threatening to flatten and occupy Gaza.

Prince Mohammed last week notably hosted Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Jeddah on the official's first foreign visit since assuming office in April.

Connecting the Dots:

Abdulaziz bin Abdullah the deputy minister of foreign affairs for Saudi Arabia and is a co-founder for the Friends of Saudi Arabia.

Friends of Saudi Arabia was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Saudi Arabia was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation

Turki bin Faisal Al Saud is a prince of Saudi Arabia, was William J. Clinton’s classmate at Georgetown, an intelligence chief for Saudi Arabia and a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations and a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

Alwaleed bin Talal is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, the founder of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, a prince of Saudi Arabia, the chairman for the Rotana Group and a stockholder for News Corp.

Rotana Group is an investor in News Corp.

K. Rupert Murdoch is the chairman & CEO for News Corp. and a papal knighthood knight.

papal knighthood is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman Catholic Church.

John J. Studzinski is a papal knighthood knight and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Madeleine K. Albright was an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a professor at Georgetown University.

Anthony Lake was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and is a professor at Georgetown University.

Chuck Hagel was the chairman for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), the Defense secretary for the Barack Obama administration and a professor at Georgetown University.

James L. Jones Jr. is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration and was a men's basketball team forward at Georgetown University.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was a center at Georgetown University.

Alwaleed bin Talal is the benefactor for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and the founder of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation.

Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow.

American Society for Muslim Advancement is a sponsor for the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow and a sister organization for the Cordoba Initiative.

Park51

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park51

Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) was a planned 13-story Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan. The majority of the center was set aside for the general public to promote interfaith dialogue. Plans for the center included a Muslim prayer space which, due to its location two blocks from the World Trade Center site,^[6][7] has controversially been referred to as the "Ground Zero mosque", though numerous commentators disputed that characterization.^[8][9] As of August 2014, the owner proposes to build a three-story museum instead of the original 13-story center.

Daisy Khan is an executive director for the American Society for Muslim Advancement, a developer for Park51 and was a director at the White House Project.

Gara LaMarche was a director at the White House Project, the VP & director of U.S. programs for the Open Society Foundations and an associate director for the Human Rights Watch.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), the Catholic Relief Services and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a benefactor at the Human Rights Watch.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Human Rights Watch,

John J. Studzinski is a director at the Human Rights Watch, a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a papal knighthood knight.

papal knighthood is an honor conferred by pope for the Roman Catholic Church.

K. Rupert Murdoch is a papal knighthood knight and the chairman & CEO for News Corp.

Rotana Group is an investor in News Corp.

Alwaleed bin Talal is the chairman for the Rotana Group and a stockholder for News Corp., the founder of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, a prince of Saudi Arabia and a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

George Soros is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Economic Policy Institute and Refugees International.

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is a paid for staff by the Economic Policy Institute.

Alan K. Simpson is a co-chair for the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.

John C. Danforth is a director at Refugees International and a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Newton N. Minow is a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.

Shimon Peres was the president of Israel and a friend of Haim Saban.

Haim Saban was a friend of Shimon Peres, is a benefactor at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Martin S. Indyk was a founding director at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, the U.S. ambassador for Israel and is the foreign policy director for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F. Kerry’s brother and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP and Crystal Nix Hines’s law school friend.

Faith Elizabeth Gay was an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, a director at the American Constitution Society and is a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Crystal Nix Hines is of counsel at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, LLP, was Barack Obama’s law school friend and the U.S. permanent representative nominee for UNESCO.

H. Patrick Swygert was a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates and a member of the UNESCO.

Forest Whitaker is a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO and a William Morris Endeavor Entertainment client.

Herbie Hancock is a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO and a William Morris Endeavor Entertainment client.

Ari Emanuel is the co-CEO & director for William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother.

Rahm I. Emanuel is Ari Emanuel’s brother, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago (IL) mayor and was the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.

Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/12/commercial-club-of-chicago-members.html

Francis E. George was a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a cardinal for the Roman Catholic Church.

papal knighthood is an honor conferred by pope for the Roman Catholic Church.

K. Rupert Murdoch is a papal knighthood knight and the chairman & CEO for News Corp.

Rotana Group is an investor in News Corp.

George Soros is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Blackstone Group was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Jonathan D. Gray is a director & global head of real estate for the Blackstone Group and was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Mark T. Gallogly was a senior managing director for the Blackstone Group and a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Glenn H. Hutchins was a general partner at the Blackstone Group and a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Ronald O. Perelman was a funder, 2013 fundraiser chair for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and a 740 Park Avenue, New York resident.

Edgar M. Bronfman was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and a 740 Park Avenue, New York resident.

Stephen A. Schwarzman is a 740 Park Avenue, New York resident and the chairman & CEO & co-founder for the Blackstone Group.

John A. Thain is a duplex owner at 740 Park Avenue, New York and was the president & COO for the Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Steven T. Mnuchin is a resident at 740 Park Avenue, New York and was the EVP & CIO for the Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Henry R. Kravis was a 740 Park Avenue, New York resident and is married to Marie-Josee Kravis.

Marie-Josee Kravis is married to Henry R. Kravis and was a director at the Robin Hood Foundation.

Emma Bloomberg was the chief of staff for the Robin Hood Foundation and is Michael R. Bloomberg’ daughter.

Michael R. Bloomberg is Emma Bloomberg’s father and was a donor for the Robin Hood Foundation.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Robin Hood Foundation.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Laurence D. Fink is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation and the Chairman & CEO for Blackrock, Inc.

Keith T. Anderson was a chief investment officer for the Soros Fund Management and a co-founder for BlackRock, Inc.

George Soros is the founder of the Soros Fund Management and a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

Rotana Group is an investor in News Corp.

K. Rupert Murdoch is the chairman & CEO for News Corp. and a papal knighthood knight.

papal knighthood is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman Catholic Church.

John J. Studzinski is a papal knighthood knight and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. is a lifetime director for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a director at the Boeing Company.

Stanley O. Roth was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and is a VP for the Boeing Company.

James L. Jones Jr. is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was a director at the Boeing Company.

Rozanne L. Ridgway was a co-chair for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was a director at the Boeing Company.

Stanley Ebner is a lifetime director for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was the SVP at the Boeing Company.

Madeleine K. Albright was an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a professor at Georgetown University.

Anthony Lake was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and is a professor at Georgetown University.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was a center at Georgetown University.

Alwaleed bin Talal is the benefactor for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and the founder of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation.

Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow.

American Society for Muslim Advancement is a sponsor for the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow and a sister organization for the Cordoba Initiative.

Park51

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park51

Resources: Past Research

Blackstone, Saudi Arabia Announce $40 Billion Investment in U.S. Infrastructure (Past Research on Saudi Arabia)

Sunday, May 21, 2017

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2017/05/blackstone-saudi-arabia-announce-40.html

UNESCO Cancels Expo Detailing Jews' Connection to Israel (Past Research on UNESCO)

Monday, January 20, 2014

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2014/01/unesco-cancels-expo-detailing-jews.html

5 biggest risks of sharing your DNA with consumer genetic-testing companies (Connecting the Dots: Blackstone Group, Clinton Foundation, Soros & Saudi Arabia) (Past Research Saudi Arabia)

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2022/06/5-biggest-risks-of-sharing-your-dna.html

Pope Francis's Condition Has Worsened, Vatican Says (Connecting the Dot: Vatican Bank, Wheelchair Foundation, USSR, Holy See, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Catholic Relief Services, The Papal Knighthood & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the Papal Knighthood)

Saturday, February 22, 2025

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/02/pope-franciss-condition-has-worsened.html

Catholic University Investigated for Offending Muslims By Having Too Many Crosses (Past Research on the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding)

Monday, May 11, 2015

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/05/catholic-university-investigated-for.html

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation (Connecting the Dots: Commission on Presidential Debates, Anheuser-Busch, Barack Obama, Commercial Club of Chicago & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the Commission on Presidential Debates)

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-anheuser-busch-foundation.html

Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (Past Research on 740 Park Avenue, New York)

Saturday, June 18, 2016

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/search?q=740+Park+Avenue%2C+New+York

BlackRock CEO Fink Warns N.Y. Could Lose Many Key Employers (Connecting the Dots: Larry Fink, BlackRock Inc., Bloomberg News, Bloomberg LP, The Soros Fund Management & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on Larry Fink & BlackRock)

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/04/blackrock-ceo-fink-warns-ny-could-lose.html

Trump Names Former Goldman Partner, Soros Money Manager As Finance Chairman (Past Research on the Robin Hood Foundation)

Friday, May 6, 2016

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/05/trump-names-former-goldman-partner.html

Israel Denies Work Visa to Official from ‘Blatantly Hostile’ Human Rights Watch (Past Research on Israel & the Middle East)

Friday, February 24, 2017

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2017/02/israel-denies-work-visa-to-official.html

Hours After John Kerry Demands Green Transition Accelerated – His Emissions Closet Swings Wide Open (Connecting the Dots: Cameron Kerry, John Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Soros, the Climate Reality Project, the Brookings Institution (think tank), the EPA and onto the FDA, Pfizer & Johnson & Johnson. It’s the Network That Never Ends. One Project (Climate Change) Just bleeds into the Next (Covid Project)) (Past Research on Cameron Kerry)

Thursday, July 21, 2022

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2022/07/hours-after-john-kerry-demands-green.html

Boeing Accepts Plea Deal to Avoid Criminal Trial Over 737 Max Crashes, No Immunity for Other Incidents (Connecting the Dots: Boeing, DOJ, FAA, FBI, Economic Club of Washington, Smithsonian Institution & Soros Fundong, All Networking) (Past Research on Boeing)

Monday, July 8, 2024

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2024/07/boeing-accepts-plea-deal-to-avoid.html