SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
President Trump is back in Washington, D.C., after four days in the Middle East. He cut business deals with his hosts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and he praised their autocratic leaders as friends and partners. But he could not entirely escape the thorniest diplomatic challenge in the region - the war in Gaza. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez was following the president, and here's his report.
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FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: From the moment he landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, President Trump was given the royal treatment. Arabian horses escorted his motorcade to the Royal Court. There was a royal lavender carpet. Honor guards wielded their golden swords, and the crown prince greeted him as a close friend.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No. 1, I like visiting with you. We've known each other very well, and I really believe we like each other a lot and...
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: The United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump.
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ORDOÑEZ: At a Saudi investment forum, a who's who of American CEOs and billionaires rub shoulders with members of the royal family. The Saudis pulled out all the stops, even playing Trump's campaign music before and after his speech. Trump reveled in the dealmaking, and he said he was there to do business, not to meddle.
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TRUMP: And it's crucial for the wider world to note this great transformation has not come from Western intervention noise or flying people in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs. No.
ORDOÑEZ: At the forum, Trump announced a favor for his host. He said he'd make it easier to do business with Syria as it tries to recover from years of civil war.
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TRUMP: I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.
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TRUMP: Hello, everybody. The...
ORDOÑEZ: Back on Air Force One, heading to his next stop, Trump told reporters about meeting Syria's new interim president. Until recently, Ahmed al-Sharaa led a rebel fighting force. Trump said he thinks Sharaa can turn Syria around.
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TRUMP: I think very good. Young, attractive guy. Tough guy. You know, a strong past. A very strong past fighter.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Does that worry you?
TRUMP: But he's going to...
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: (Chanting in non-English language).
ORDOÑEZ: Landing in Doha with a fighter jet escort, there are more horses, more honor guards and even camels.
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TRUMP: We appreciate those camels. I haven't seen camels like that in a long time.
ORDOÑEZ: At a state dinner in a marble palace, the Qatari emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, knew just what to say. He talked up the billions of investments in the U.S., and he boasted that Qatar likes to, quote, "drill, baby, drill," using a Trump campaign slogan.
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TAMIM BIN HAMAD AL THANI: Before your last election, you invited me to dinner at your lovely home at Mar-a-Lago, and I told a close friend, presidents come and go. None of them could do it. This guy might just have the guts to get it done.
ORDOÑEZ: There was a lot of pomp, but not much talk about the biggest diplomatic challenge in the region - the war in Gaza. But by Thursday morning with escalating airstrikes killing hundreds more Palestinians, Trump couldn't avoid questions from reporters. He revived a U.S. proposal to take over Gaza and develop the land. It's an idea his hosts strongly oppose.
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TRUMP: There's no building. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable. It's tremendous death, and I want to see that be a freedom zone.
ORDOÑEZ: Trump said he wants to do something to help starving people in Gaza, but there were no details on what those next steps might be. Then he was off to the UAE, doing more business deals and enjoying another state dinner before leaving the region behind, and the difficult problem unresolved.
Franco Ordoñez, NPR News, Abu Dhabi. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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