By Katherine Tinsley
3:33pm PDT, May 14, 2025
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On Tuesday, May 13,
Donald Trump signed the largest defense sales agreement in history. The deal has an estimated value of $142 billion but also encompasses bilateral deals worth $600 billion in investments.
Keep reading for the details…
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In mid-May, Donald Trump traveled to Saudi Arabia for the first foreign visit of his second presidency — and the trip proved to be quite profitable.
According to the
New York Post, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman committed to facilitating deals worth $600 billion if his country were the first stop on Trump's diplomatic tour.
"Exactly eight years ago this month, I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive out the forces of terrorism and extremism, and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations of the world — as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East," Trump said during a speech in Saudi Arabia.
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While touring an investment forum, Donald Trump celebrated the progress made between the two nations.
"Are we doing a good job so far for America? They're only putting in a trillion dollars," Trump told reporters.
The White House later confirmed the U.S. will provide
Saudi Arabia "with state-of-the-art war-fighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms."
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The White House later clarified that the partnership focuses on five categories: "(1) air force advancement and space capabilities, (2) air and missile defense, (3) maritime and coastal security, (4) border security and land forces modernization, and (5) information and communication systems upgrades."
While meeting with investors, Donald Trump bragged about the U.S. having "the best military equipment, the best missiles, the best rockets, the best everything."
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The $600 billion deal encompasses letters of understanding from Saudi-based DataVolt, which has made a $20 billion investment agreement, as well as U.S.-based AI powerhouses Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD and Uber, who promised $80 billion in technology to both nations.
American companies Hill International, Jacobs, Parsons and AECOM will also work on the infrastructure project.
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Donald Trump praised the region for the historical collaboration.
"It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs," Trump said during his speech on Tuesday, May 13. "The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad."
"Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves, developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions and charting your own destinies in your own way," he continued.
