It’s Donald Trump’s first major trip in his second term as president and he’s chosen to visit the Gulf in a four-day whirlwind tour.
He began in Saudi Arabia for a friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Among other issues he agreed to lift sanctions on Syria and struck a number of trade deals, marking a big shift in relations between the two nations since Joe Biden’s presidency.
But the trip threatens to be overshadowed by the fallout from Qatar’s gift of a free luxury jumbo jet. The president has defended the gift and said he would be a “stupid person” to turn it down, which has prompted criticism from his supporters including the far-right influencer Laura Loomer.
Sarah and Anthony in Qatar join Justin to unpack a busy few days on the road, and discuss the new U.S. approach to the Middle East and what it means for the region, and the rest of the world.
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
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This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was James Piper. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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