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By Jesus Mesa
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It's well known that President Donald Trump loves a Big Mac. During his first term, he famously served fast food at White House banquets, and during the 2024 campaign he wore an apron and handed out fries at a McDonald's stop staged for cameras.
As the Saudis work to impress Trump during his trip to Riyadh this week, they're focusing on even the smallest details—like his fondness for the Golden Arches—by setting up a custom-built mobile McDonald's truck designed to support the presidential visit and the throng of journalists in tow.
The Context
Trump's four-day trip across the Middle East marks his first major international mission since returning to office. Landing in Riyadh on May 13, he was greeted personally at the airport by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—a ceremonial gesture reserved for close allies.
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Far from a traditional diplomatic tour, Trump's second-term kickoff is saturated with real estate contracts, defense procurements, and eye-popping investment pledges. The president has thrown out numbers ranging from $500 billion to $2.5 trillion in potential investments.
What To Know
As part of a carefully choreographed and unusually personal welcome, Saudi officials rolled out a full-size, mobile McDonald's truck ahead of Trump's arrival—a nod to his well-documented preference for the fast-food chain.
The glossy, double-staircase trailer—branded in Arabic and English—was parked outside a media hub called "Media Oasis," where journalists were hosted amid video screens showcasing Saudi mega-projects like the futuristic NEOM city and the upcoming 2034 FIFA World Cup.
It was unclear if the president was planning to eat from the truck.
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"Yes, it's a mobile McDonald's here in Riyadh," i24 journalist Mordechai Wagenheim posted on X, sharing footage of the truck.
Trump's reception was filled with symbolic detail. American and Saudi flags fluttered throughout the capital, and an all-American fleet of police vehicles formed a visible security perimeter around key sites. Most notably, Trump was greeted on the tarmac by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself—a rare diplomatic honor.
Typically, foreign leaders are received by lower-ranking officials unless a message of alliance is intended. The crown prince's decision to meet Trump personally stood in stark contrast to President Joe Biden's 2022 visit, when a provincial governor met Air Force One.
In the tightly controlled Saudi press, the visit was hailed as a new chapter in U.S.-Saudi relations. The White House released a press release announcing a $600-billion commitment from the Saudis to invest in the United States.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, during a brief appearance with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the start of a bilateral meeting, said: "I really believe we like each other a lot."
Khalid al-Falih, Saudi investment minister, said at a Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum: "Our bilateral relationship is one of the world's most significant geostrategic bonds, with economic cooperation and business partnerships at its core, and serves as a force for peace and global prosperity."
Mona Yacoubian, Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Newsweek: "Trump's trip to the Gulf is a harbinger of this administration's foreign policy over the next four years: transactional rather than transformative, personality-driven, and crowned by headline-grabbing economic deals."
What Happens Next
After his first stop in Saudi Arabia, President Trump is scheduled to visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—two of the richest nations in the world—to sign what he hopes will amount to over $1 trillion in investment and trade agreements.
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