EXPLAINER
For the second time in his presidency, Donald Trump’s first official state go to is to Saudi Arabia.
For the second time in his presidency, Donald Trump has chosen Saudi Arabia because the vacation spot for his first official state go to, following transient stops in Italy and the Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral.
Trump arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday simply earlier than 10am native time (07:00 GMT), the place he was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The US president will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Might 13 to 16, 2025.
Which international locations did Trump go to in his first time period?
Trump visited 25 international locations throughout his first time period because the US president from January 2017 to January 2021.
The international locations that Trump visited most throughout his first time period embody:
- France – 4 instances
- Japan, United Kingdom – Thrice
- Belgium, Germany, Eire, Italy, South Korea, Switzerland, Vietnam – Two instances
- Afghanistan, Argentina, Canada, China, Finland, India, Iraq, Israel, North Korea, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Vatican Metropolis – As soon as
The order of his journeys is listed within the infographic under.
Trump turned the primary US president to make the Center East his first international vacation spot, visiting Saudi Arabia on Might 20-21, 2017.
He held bilateral talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and then-Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as the 2 international locations signed a $110bn arms deal.
Trump additionally took half within the Riyadh Summit, a gathering of leaders from greater than 50 Muslim-majority nations.
After visiting Saudi Arabia, Trump travelled to Israel, the place he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and have become the primary sitting US president to go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. He then met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas within the occupied West Financial institution metropolis of Bethlehem.
Trump’s go to to India on February 24-25, 2020, was his remaining worldwide journey earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic led to international journey restrictions.
The primary nation visited by every US president
A US president’s first journey is usually seen as a sign of their priorities and international coverage path, setting the tone for the way the US will have interaction with the world over the following 4 years.
In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt turned the primary sitting US president to journey overseas when he visited Panama to examine the development of the Panama Canal, a key mission for US commerce and army technique.
Extra not too long ago, in 1993, Invoice Clinton’s first journey was to Canada, setting the stage for NAFTA. In 2001, George W Bush visited Mexico, specializing in commerce and immigration. Barack Obama’s first journey in 2009 was additionally to Canada, emphasising multilateral diplomacy. Joe Biden’s first journey in 2021 was to the UK, the place he attended the G7 Summit, highlighting conventional alliances and local weather change.
The graphic under reveals the primary nation visited by every US president.
Variety of first presidential journeys:
- Canada – 5 (Kennedy, Johnson, HW Bush, Clinton, Obama)
- UK – 4 (Wilson, FD Roosevelt, Carter, Biden)
- Panama – 3 (T Roosevelt, Taft, Harding)
- Mexico – 3 (Ford, Reagan, Bush)
- Belgium – 2 (Truman, Nixon)
- Saudi Arabia – 2 (Trump, first and second time period)
- Cuba – 1 (Coolidge)
- Honduras – 1 (Hoover)
- South Korea – 1 (Eisenhower)
All US presidential journeys overseas (1906-2024)
The desk under reveals the greater than 800 presidential journeys performed by 21 of the US’s most up-to-date presidents, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
The international locations visited essentially the most variety of instances embody:
- UK (69 instances)
- France (51 instances)
- Canada (41 instances)
- Mexico (35 instances)
- Italy (33 instances)
The international locations visited by essentially the most variety of US presidents embody:
- Italy (15 presidents)
- Mexico (15 presidents)
- UK (15 presidents)
- France (14 presidents)
- Vatican Metropolis (14 presidents)
Seek for any nation utilizing the search field under.
