King Salman and President Trump, flanking the flag bearer, took part in a traditional sword dance on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
New York Times: Saudis Welcome Trump’s Rebuff of Obama’s Mideast Views
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — With trumpets blaring, cannons booming and fighter jets streaking overhead trailed by red, white and blue contrails, President Trump arrived in the scorching heat of the Arabian desert on Saturday hoping to realign the politics and diplomacy of the Middle East by forcefully reasserting American support for Sunni Muslim countries and Israel against Iran’s Shiite-led government.
The start of Mr. Trump’s first trip abroad since becoming president — coming amid the scandals and chaos engulfing his administration — was intended to be a blunt rejection of President Barack Obama’s vision for the region. Mr. Obama sought a reconciliation with Iran and negotiated a deal intended to keep Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
The day proved to be almost everything a besieged White House could have wanted. After weeks of stormy politics and out-of-control news cycles, the president stayed rigorously on script and restrained himself on Twitter. His staff boasted about the business deals being signed, and the visual images beamed to Americans back home showed a president seemingly in command of a world stage.
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Update: Saudi leaders hail Trump visit as ‘reset of regional order’ (The Guardian)
WNU Editor: A lot of Sunni-led governments in the Middle East saw President Obama's Iran policies as a disaster that put everyone else in peril .... so looking at it from that context .... they see President Trump as someone who understands these dangers and are willing to work with him. This trip has also destroyed the narrative that many believed President Trump would alienate allies because of his views and policies .... clearly that is not the case here.