Trump Jr. calls Saudi opportunities “spectacular” during first visit to Kingdom

US President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., praised Saudi Arabia’s rapid transformation and investment potential during what he said was his first-ever trip to the Kingdom, describing the region’s opportunities as “spectacular.”

“I think the opportunity over here in the region is spectacular,” Trump Jr. said while speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh.

He appeared on a panel alongside his business partner at 1789 Capital, Omeed Malik, in a session titled “How Patriotic Capitalism Is Challenging the Status Quo.” Malik echoed Trump Jr.’s remarks, expressing admiration for Saudi Arabia’s achievements.

“Because… you see what you’ve been able to do over nine years, and it’s remarkable,” he said.

Trump Jr. highlighted the extraordinary economic and social changes underway across the Gulf, particularly in Saudi Arabia, noting how investment perceptions of the region had dramatically evolved. “Who would have thought 20 years ago that anyone with a few brain cells would be investing in the Middle East versus anywhere in Europe? Maybe you would have said impossible,” he said.

The younger Trump also defended his father’s policies in the Middle East, crediting him with strengthening ties with Gulf states. He pointed out that President Donald Trump made Saudi Arabia his first foreign destination during both his first and second terms, breaking with the long-standing US presidential tradition of visiting Canada or Mexico first.

“Unlike the last presidents who visited here, it wasn’t an apology tour,” Trump Jr. said. “It was, ‘How do we work together? How do we grow our respective economies? How do we create peace and stability in the region?’”

He further clarified that his father’s “America First” policy did not equate to isolationism. “But there can also be a ‘Saudi First’ component to that, and everyone can actually benefit,” he said. “That was the idea of being able to collectively work together for the benefit of all of our collective nations.”

Later on October 29, Trump Jr. was seen sitting alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during remarks delivered by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the conference.

By Tamilla Hasanova