President Donald Trump is to meet with the new Syrian leader, a onetime insurgent, before wrapping up his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and heading to Qatar, the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour this week.

President Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and attended a US-Saudi investment forum along with Elon Musk and other top CEOs.

The American leader dedicated much of his speech to praising the Saudi kingdom, with which he has enjoyed warm relations for years. "Trump and MBS? It's a bromance for the ages," one summit attendee told CNBC,

The meeting, on the sidelines of Trump sitting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family.

The wealthy and the powerful gathered in Saudi Arabia with the goal of becoming even more so. “They’re going to walk away with a lot of checks,” President Trump said.

During comments at the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, President Trump urged Gulf leaders to join the U.S. in “fully and totally enforcing” recent sanctions imposed on Iran.

President Donald J. Trump spoke at the Saudi investment forum on May 13, 2025, where he said he may consider a nuclear deal with Iran.