Bin Salman’s proactive step to win Trump’s favor at the expense of the Saudi economy

SANAA, Jan. 23 (YPA) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was quick to appease US President Donald Trump by revealing plans to invest $600 billion in the United States, in a move that raised questions about the potential negative effects on the Saudi economy, which is under great pressure.

Mohammed bin Salman announced, following a phone call with Trump, that the Kingdom intends to pump this huge investment into the American market over the next four years.

This statement coincided with Trump’s hints at the possibility of making the Kingdom his first stop on his first foreign visit after assuming office, which reflects the continued close relationship between the two countries.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported a statement by the Crown Prince confirming the Kingdom’s commitment to expanding its investments and enhancing trade exchange with the United States in the coming years, noting that the value of these plans may exceed 600 billion dollars.

For his part, Trump on Monday expressed his hints about a possible visit to the Kingdom, recalling his previous visit in 2017, which he considered a smart economic move due to what he described as Saudi Arabia’s purchase of American products worth $450 billion at the time.

He explained that he would be open to repeating the experience if Saudi Arabia expressed its willingness to make similar investments, the value of which, according to inflation, exceeds the $500 billion barrier.

Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2017 launched a wave of regional events, most notably the Arab boycott of Qatar, which was led by four countries, including Saudi Arabia, and continued for years.

At the same time, the economic challenges for the Kingdom and the region as a whole appear to be worsening, as the International Monetary Fund has lowered its forecasts for Saudi economic growth for 2025, driven by unexpected cuts in oil production within the OPEC+ agreement.

Growth forecasts for 2024 were also revised to just 1.4%. At the regional level, the World Bank in turn reduced its growth forecast for the Gulf region in 2025 to a rate of 3.3%, affected by similar conditions.

Amid this climate, activist Lina Al-Hathloul from the ALQST Human Rights Organization expressed her dissatisfaction with the prevailing view of the Kingdom as a permanent source of money without paying attention to its real needs.

Al-Hathloul wrote on the X platform about her conflicting impressions while attending one of comedian Bassem Youssef’s shows, noting the continued use of the image of the Kingdom as a “cash cow,” according to the prevailing discourse.

She explained that this perception increases the isolation of the Saudis even among their Arab brothers, who share the same challenges and dreams of just countries and societies that respect the rights of citizens and listen to their voices. But she pointed out with regret that political trends that relied on buying loyalties had kept these hopes out of reach.

The term “cash cow” was first used politically by Donald Trump during his 2016 election campaign to describe Saudi Arabia as a convenient source of money that “generates gold and dollars” according to American demands.

YPA