Trump in Riyadh: 'The Gleaming Marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi Were Not Created by the So-Called Nation Builders, Neocons' (May 13, 2025)

In Riyadh, President Donald Trump told the Arab world that its new cities were built without Washington’s lectures. “The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation builders, neocons, or liberal nonprofits like those who spent trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop Kabal [Kabul; White House correction], Baghdad, so many other cities,” Trump said at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum on May 13, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

“In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,” he said [1].

The video above shows Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project and the Federal Register [1][2].

”More Than 80 Years”

Trump thanked his hosts. “With this historic state visit, we celebrate more than 80 years of close partnership between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “Today we reaffirm this important bond and we take the next steps to make our relationship closer, stronger, and more powerful than ever before.” [1]

“The Largest Ever”

Trump announced a record arms purchase. “In addition to purchases of $142 billion of American-made military equipment by our great Saudi partners—the largest ever—this week, there are multibillion-dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD—they’re all here,” he said [1].

“And with this trip, we’re adding over $1 trillion more in terms of investment and investment into our country and buying our products,” Trump said [1].

“More than $10 trillion of new investments have been announced or are coming just since the election on November 5,” he said [1].

“We won all seven swing states, the popular vote by millions and millions of votes. The Electoral College, we won by 312 to 226,” Trump said [1].

He spotted Nvidia’s chief in the crowd. “I see my friend is here—Jensen—that’s very good,” Trump said [1].

”Good Luck, Syria”

Trump then made news on Syria. “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” he said, to applause [1].

“Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince,” Trump joked. “But now it’s their time to shine. It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off,” he said. “So I say: Good luck, Syria. Show us something very special, like they’ve done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia.” [1]

“52 Days of Thunder and Lightning”

He spoke of the strikes on the Houthis. “In recent weeks, following repeated attacks on American ships and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the United States military launched more than 1,100 strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. As a result, the Houthis agreed to stop,” Trump said [1].

“But we had 52 days of thunder and lightning like they’ve never seen before. This was a swift, ferocious, decisive, and extremely successful use of military force,” he said [1].

“Since January 20, the U.S. military has terminated 83 terrorist leaders operating across Iraq, Syria, and Somalia, including ISIS’s number-two global leader,” Trump said [1].

“With the help of Pakistan, we apprehended the ISIS terrorists responsible for the attack on 13 American servicemembers—that Abbey Gate, that horrible, horrible disaster—during this Afghanistan withdrawal,” Trump said. Of the Biden withdrawal, he said: “I think it was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.” [1]

“This weekend, we successfully negotiated the release of the last American hostage, Edan Alexander. He just came out a few hours ago,” he said [1].

”Water Mafia”

Trump contrasted the Gulf with Iran. “While you have been constructing the world’s tallest skyscrapers in Jeddah and Dubai, Tehran’s 1979 landmarks are collapsing into rubble and dust,” he said [1].

“While your skill has turned dry deserts into fertile farmland, Iran’s leaders have managed to turn green farmland into dry deserts,” Trump said. He said Iran’s leaders get rich while what he called a “water mafia” causes “droughts and empty riverbeds.” [1]

“Joining the Abraham Accords”

“And it’s my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia—a place I have such respect for, especially over the last fairly short period of time—what you’ve been able to do—but will soon be joining the Abraham Accords,” Trump said [1].

”Dispense Justice for Their Sins”

“In recent years, far too many American Presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,” Trump said [1].

He said “my preference will always be for peace and partnership whenever those outcomes can be achieved. Always.” [1]

“A New Path” for Iran

“Yet I’m here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future,” Trump said [1].

“I have never believed in having permanent enemies,” he said [1].

“But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive, maximum pressure: drive Iranian oil exports to zero, like I did before,” Trump warned [1]. “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.” [1]

By the Numbers

$142 billion: in U.S. military equipment for Saudi Arabia, “the largest ever,” per Trump [1].
$1 trillion+: in investment and purchases from the trip, per Trump [1].
1,100+: U.S. strikes on the Houthis, per Trump [1].
83: terrorist leaders killed since Jan. 20, per Trump [1].

What Happened Next

Trump lifted the Syria sanctions. On June 30, 2025, he signed Executive Order 14312, “Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions.” It says: “The United States is committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors.” [2]

The order said conditions had “been transformed by developments over the past 6 months, including the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.” [2]

For Karoline Leavitt on the Houthi strikes in March, see HYGO News’ page on March 17, 2025. For Trump’s hostage deadline to Hamas, see the page on Feb. 10, 2025.