Trump admin live updates: Trump lands in Saudi Arabia for Middle East trip
President Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin an official visit to the Middle East, a major international trip during which he and his diplomats will continue pushing for peace between Russia and Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. and China issued a joint statement on Monday announcing an agreement to cut reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a move that U.S. markets appeared to favor. Stock futures climbed on the news.
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Musk among business leaders with Trump in Saudi Arabia
When President Donald Trump arrives at the Royal Palace in Riyadh on Tuesday, he will attend a lunch with Saudi and U.S. delegations and the heads of major businesses — including Elon Musk.
Musk leads several companies, including SpaceX, X and Tesla, where he serves as chief executive. He’s also been a leader of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy are also among the significant names on the guest list.
Freed Gaza hostage speaks with Trump by phone
Special envoy Steve Witkoff posted photos of his meeting with freed U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on his X account on Tuesday morning, saying they “had the opportunity” to speak with President Donald Trump.
Alexander’s family released a statement shortly after his release from captivity on Monday, saying the New Jersey native is planning to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet Trump at the White House later this month.
Alexander — a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces — was seized by Hamas from his base near the Gaza frontier during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Trump lands in Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump landed at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday morning to begin his Middle East tour.
Saudi fighter jets escorted Air Force One as it came in to land. A 21-gun salute greeted Trump as he walked down the steps of Air Force One, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcoming the president on a purple carpet.
Trump is expected to head to the Royal Court for an arrival ceremony with the crown prince followed by a series of meetings, expected to include the signing of a new bilateral agreement.
Trump will then visit the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, where he will give remarks and take a tour of exhibit booths.
Rubio calls his counterparts to discuss a path to peace for Ukraine
Ahead of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, which are slated to be held in Turkey this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom — as well as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas — according to State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
He also spoke to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, she confirmed.
“The leaders discussed the way forward for a ceasefire and path to peace in Ukraine,” Bruce said.
