By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he likely will make his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia to seal an agreement for Riyadh to invest upwards of $1 trillion in the U.S. economy, including purchases of military equipment.
Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he would probably travel there in the next month and a half. He noted that the first overseas trip of his first term was to Riyadh in 2017 to announce Saudi investments estimated then to be worth $350 billion.
"This time, they've gotten richer, we've all gotten older," said Trump.He said that, at his behest, the Saudis were willing to invest $1 trillion over four years in American companies including purchases of U.S. military equipment.
"And they've agreed to do that, so I'm going to be going there, and I have a great relationship with them, and they've been very nice," Trump said.
Saudi Arabia has been taking a more prominent role in U.S. foreign policy. Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters the Saudis will host a U.S.-Ukraine meeting next week to discuss a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
In February, Trump met with officials of the PGA Tour and the Saudi-owned LIV Golf about resolving a rift between the two.
Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and Middle East adviser during his first term, started a private equity firm that received $2 billion in Saudi investment after Trump left office.
Trump has also recently presided over a string of announcements about companies investing heavily in the U.S. economy including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 2330.TW and Apple AAPL.O.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Katharine Jackson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
((Steve.a.holland@thomsonreuters.com; www.twitter.com/steveholland1; 202 898 8300; Reuters Messaging: steve.holland.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.