‘I’ll always protect’ Saudi Arabia, former US President Trump says

Donald Trump has vowed to “always” protect Saudi Arabia if he is re-elected as US president during the upcoming elections in November.

The former president and Republican nominee, who will run against Joe Biden in a few months, made his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia after entering the White House in 2017.

Ties between Washington and Riyadh were strong, starkly contrasting to when President Biden first took office. Although the relationship has stabilized in recent years, Trump has accused the Biden administration of pushing Saudi Arabia away from the West and towards China.

China brokered a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore ties last year.

The Biden administration has also accused Saudi Arabia of “siding with Russia” and purposefully increasing oil output to benefit Republicans during last year’s midterm elections. They have since backtracked and voiced support for Saudi Arabia’s role in energy markets and for efforts to end fighting in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.

“They’re [Saudi Arabia] not with us anymore,” Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “They’re with China. But they don’t want to be with China. They want to be with us.”

Trump placed blame on the Obama administration as well. Former President Barack Obama was seen as turning a cold shoulder to the Sunni world, particularly Saudi Arabia, in favor of easing pressure on Iran.

Trump also praised Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, revealing that the two had spoken within the last six months.

In his interview, Trump said he was not worried that increasing oil and gas production in the US would irk Saudi Arabia or MBS. “He likes me, I like him,” Trump was quoted as saying. “They’re always going to need protection… they’re not naturally protected.”