News - World: Former US President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump detailed his first visit to Saudi Arabia in 2016, noting that he demanded then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman grant American companies deals worth $450 billion for making Saudi Arabia his first stop on his foreign tour.

"I did something that got no publicity, but it was a great thing. I went to Saudi Arabia as my first stop, which is unusual because most presidents go to the UK first," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

"I told him (bin Salman) I would break a long-standing tradition if I did that. He said: 'No, we want you to come here first.' I told him: 'Look, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll come, but I want you to give $450 billion to American companies.' He said: 'Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that,' and I said: 'I’ll come with those companies.' And I did, and he gave $450 billion," he added.

Trump mentioned that American companies negotiated deals with Saudi Arabia for weeks following his agreement to visit Riyadh, lamenting the lack of media coverage of this historic visit.

Regarding his relationship with bin Salman, Trump stated, "He loves me, and I love him. They will always need protection, and I will always protect them."

Trump disclosed that he had communicated less with the Saudi Crown Prince in the past six months, emphasizing that Saudi Arabia will always require American protection, and he would provide it if he returns to the White House.

He also complained about the lack of press coverage, saying, "I didn’t get much from the press, but it was an amazing event. Over three hours, they gave $450 billion in contracts, including Wall Street money. They gave it to various companies on Wall Street. It was a fantastic event."

"They went to Boeing, bought hundreds of planes, bought fighter jets, everything," he added.

Regarding the events leading up to bin Salman’s overthrow of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Trump said, "Bin Salman came here; it was supposed to be his father's brother. But he came as the son - and young. I think he was about thirty-two years old or something."

Reflecting on his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump said, "When I went to Saudi Arabia, the king greeted me. It was 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) on the runway. I can’t imagine he didn’t greet Obama, didn’t greet anyone."

Despite the interview being near its conclusion, Trump continued to criticize Saudi Arabia, saying, "I protected them a lot during my term. Many missiles were fired at their areas, and we hit every one of them."

Since that visit, Donald Trump has humiliated Saudi Arabia by saying the country’s King “might not be there for two weeks” without Washington’s support, another time describing Saudi Arabia as "a milk cow" that would be slaughtered when its milk runs out.