Elon Musk Mingles with Trump and Saudi Royalty: A Business-Focused Summit
Business leaders Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Larry Fink meet with Trump at Saudi royal court.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, joins other American business leaders in a meeting with President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Among the elite company of CEOs greeting and conversing with the world leaders was Sam Altman of OpenAI, Larry Fink of BlackRock, and Andy Jassy of Amazon, as well as Arvind Krishna of IBM, Jane Fraser of Citicorp, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, Jensen Huang of NVIDIA, and Alex Karp of Palantir, reports suggest.
Trump's Middle East expedition is underway this week, focusing on striking business deals and strategic partnerships with notorious oil-wealthy nations like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
Before a lunch hosted by the Saudi crown prince, the appeared leaders were seen together at the Saudi royal court in Riyadh.
Trump's itinerary in the Gulf region includes forging economic deals, discussing civil nuclear programs, and expanding defense cooperation. Furthermore, potential agreements that had previously hinted at a potential Abraham Accords-style normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel are also in the works.
Certainly not your run-of-the-mill diplomatic visit, this tour will see Trump headlining the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum accompanied by Saudi ministers, White House crypto czar David Sacks, and other distinguished business leaders, including Musk, Jassy, Fink, and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman.
Moreover, China has recently lifted its ban on Boeing deliveries following a temporary reduction in tariffs, signaling a possible shift in global alliances.
The Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, which takes place on May 13, is described as a celebration of a longstanding partnership between the two nations. The collaboration between the two nations has been crucial to their prosperity since 1945, as corroborated by the event's website.
The foray continues on Wednesday, when Trump attends a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Qatar followed by a visit to the U.S. military's Al Udeid Air Base.
Finally, Thursday's stop takes Trump to Abu Dhabi, where he will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
[1] The event's website: https://saudiusinvestmentforum.com.sa/[2] "President Trump's Middle East trip: What to expect from landmark visit," Al Jazeera, May 8, 2025.[3] "Trump set to seal huge Middle East deals in week-long tour," CNN, May 10, 2025.
- Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, will be present at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, alongside other notable business leaders such as Sam Altman of OpenAI, Larry Fink of BlackRock, and Andy Jassy of Amazon.
- President Trump's Middle East expedition includes discussions on forging economic deals, expanding defense cooperation, and even potential agreements that might hint at a normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
- The Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, an event that celebrates a longstanding partnership between the two nations, will see the participation of David Sacks, the White House crypto czar, in addition to other business leaders like Musk, Fink, Jassy, and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman.
- The aforementioned tour will also include a stop in Abu Dhabi, where President Trump will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and a visit to the US military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
