Between two visits, one in the spring of 2018 and the other in the winter of 2025, Washington sees the atmosphere ideal for welcoming Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
The young prince's first visit marked the beginning of a strong friendship with US President Donald Trump, 14 months after Trump assumed the presidency in 2017. His upcoming second visit to Washington in November 2025 adds new dimensions to a relationship that had deepened in politics, economics, intelligence, and technology.
Trump initiated this warm relationship by choosing Saudi Arabia as the first stop on his first foreign trip after being sworn in as president of the world's most powerful nation. And in the summer of 2025, Trump again chose Riyadh as the first destination for his first foreign trip after assuming his second term. Much has transpired between the two visits. Trump found himself in Riyadh surrounded not only by the Saudi leadership but also by leaders of Arab and Islamic countries who accepted Riyadh's invitation to meet with him to discuss regional and global issues.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman's first visit to the United States featured an unprecedented two-week tour of financial, technological, and industrial centers. This visit can be considered as laying the foundation for the understandings and agreements that practically launched the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030 projects. Now, the seasoned Crown Prince returns to the White House after eight years, finding Washington embracing him warmly, appreciatively, and respectfully. This is even more significant given the Crown Prince's serious commitment to reshaping his country's future and moving beyond traditional alliances to a new kind of partnership aimed at deepening shared interests between the two nations and fulfilling the aspirations of the Arab and Islamic regions in a world plagued by turmoil, wars, tensions and conflicts.
The Crown Prince's first visit to Washington was a resounding success of which the impact continues to resonate in the realm of international relations. Following President Trump's visit to Riyadh last May, which resulted in the signing of major arms deals, technology and trade agreements, and political and diplomatic coordination, it seemed clear that the Crown Prince's forthcoming visit to Washington would be even more successful on several fronts.
It must be said that the secret of the success of both Trump's visits to the Kingdom and Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visits to the United States lies in the "chemistry" generated by President Trump's admiration for the young prince's dynamism, vision, way of thinking, and the clarity of his objectives regarding his country's relationship with the world's superpower.
In both the visits, the Crown Prince arrives in Washington knowing precisely what he wants, what he will discuss and why, and that is in accordance with specific timelines. This organizational precision is a hallmark of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a trait he had demonstrated even before his assumption of government responsibilities, and is underpinned by the significant successes of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
Undoubtedly, the Crown Prince's visit to Washington builds upon the achievements of his first visit to the United States and represents the culmination of the coordination and understandings reached during President Trump's visits to the Kingdom in 2017 and 2025. This visit is dominated by the difficult situation facing the world and the region due to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and several conflicts that are fueling tensions among the world’s peoples. The US President and the Saudi Crown Prince are seeking solutions to end these conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine, the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the war in Sudan.
According to Prince Mohammed bin Salman's principles, security and stability are essential prerequisites for achieving any prosperity, growth, and peace throughout the world. This is a crucial principle that Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared in his opening address at the Arab Summit hosted by Jeddah in 2022. It is also one of the key principles upon which President Trump and Prince Mohammed bin Salman agree in their political approach.
The outlines of this convergence were evident in the roles played by Riyadh in facilitating negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and in the understanding shown by Trump, following a push from Prince Mohammed bin Salman, regarding the necessity of accepting Syria and its new leadership, guiding it towards peace, and integrating it into the stabilization process as it is essential for any prosperity for Syria and its people.
The significance of the rapprochement between the American president and the Saudi crown prince was also apparent in Washington's shift in stance on ending the war in the Gaza Strip, culminating in the opening of a path that could lead to the implementation of a two-state solution. However, the Kingdom's interests are no less important than other regional and global issues.
The advancement of the remaining objectives of Vision 2030 is at the forefront of his priorities when the Crown Prince is traveling to Washington. This plan, unparalleled in the Arab world, has garnered such admiration that many countries in the region are emulating it so as to ensure a prosperous future.
The Vision 2030 has also drawn considerable admiration from the leading figures in the US financial, business, and technology sectors, not only because of the ambitious projects that attract CEOs everywhere, but also for the accompanying structural and systemic reforms in regulations, transparency, governance, and anti-corruption efforts. These reforms have made the roadmap for foreign investment in the Kingdom clear, straightforward, and guaranteed to yield positive results. Washington warmly welcomed the young Saudi Crown Prince when he visited in 2018, and it is going to receive him with the same warmth in 2025.
This time, in the Oval Office, the Crown Prince is seeking to strengthen the century-old alliance with a defense agreement that guarantees the Kingdom's security, the stability of its wealth and natural resources, and the preservation of its gains, from which the world benefits, just as Saudi Arabia does. Saudi Arabia has also affirmed for years its desire to establish a peaceful nuclear program that will enhance its utilization of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, particularly power generation. This requires genuine cooperation between Riyadh and Washington, which can be considered as the greatest guarantee for the success of this peaceful project, a right that belongs to every capable nation in the world.
Technology has become a primary focus for the Saudi leadership as it seeks cooperation that will enable it to achieve the goals set forth in Vision 2030, especially smart cities, industries, advancements in national military industries, and everything that would enhance the contribution of the non-oil sector to the GDP. The dedication to achieving these aspirations has led to a tangible and rapid transformation in the areas on which Prince Mohammed bin Salman is investing, such as sports, e-sports, tourism, entertainment, and logistics. All of these have generated enormous job opportunities, absorbing the considerable potential of Saudi Arabia's young men and women.
It is certain that Washington welcomes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today with an outstretched hand of cooperation, mutual benefit, and understanding regarding the Kingdom's desires and what it can offer to its historical ally—an alliance that has endured for a century, despite occasional differences of opinion. Washington will find in the Saudi Crown Prince a seasoned leader with a keen vision, shaped by experience and circumstances, and driven by ambitions and aspirations for realizing a more secure world and greater cooperation among nations.
