U.S President Donald Trump will make his first official trip abroad since his inauguration, visiting the United Arab Emirates next week. As hinted at by Press Secretary at the White House, Karoline Leavitt, President Trump’s schedule will involve visits to Qatar and Saudi Arabia during his tour between the dates of the 13th and 16th of May 2025.
As all we have reported, at the top of the agenda for President Trump will be lengthy discussions of trade tariffs, economic relations all around the region, and significant geopolitical concerns, such as the wars in both Ukraine and Gaza. The objective of the trip is to enhance diplomatic and economic partnership between the United States and core Gulf partners.
Although a formal up-to-date location has not been officially designated, it is overwhelmingly assumed that the UAE’s official meetings will be held in Abu Dhabi, and Qasr Al Watan which is the landmark presidential palace, famous for its history of host to considerable diplomatic gatherings, is likely to be the venue. The Palace of the Nation, or Qasr Al Watan, functions as a inner building where the central government operates and an important cultural monument.
This is the first official state visit to the UAE by Trump as he is the President, and he however has a long record of both bilateral business and diplomatic relations with the UAE. This journey shows the furtherance of strategic relations of the U.S. and the UAE, on the basis of a fruitful history of collaboration for many years.
In 2024, the UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met Trump, a former United States president while he was visiting the United States. After the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed highlighted the strength of their bilateral relationship over the social media: “Our strategic and dynamic partnership is based on common aspiration for long-term development… ” We are determined to work together to bring increased stability and prosperity to all parties”.
The forthcoming visit by Trump is tipped to reinforce this alignment and push common aspirations for good governance, security and economic growth. The timing is at the increase of regional unrest.
