Trump's Former Ally Roger Stone Slams President Over Saudi Visit
President Donald Trump's one time campaign adviser and longtime confidante Roger Stone criticized the president's meeting with the Saudi leaders Saturday and said the royal reception Trump received in Riyadh, including the country's highest civilian honor as vomit inducing.
As Trump left the tense atmosphere in Washington D.C. and landed in Saudi Arabia, he received a regal welcome from the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Trump was presented with the kingdom's highest civilian honor, a gold medal, during a ceremony at the grand Saudi Royal Court, the Washington Post reported. The nation's highest civilian honor, was also bestowed in the past upon former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush
Read: Will Melania Trump Wear Saudi Arabia's Traditional Head Scarf?
However, Stone expressed his aversion over Trump receiving the award and also said instead of meeting the Saudi leaders, Trump should demand they pay for the 9/11 attacks, which they allegedly, financed.
Stone also said Trump accepted the award only at the suggestion of his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. He did not however say why Kushner did so, CNN reported.
Trump's first stop at Saudi Arabia included him landing in the Arabian dessert, with American flags flying everywhere. He was staying at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, and was treated to a colorful dance display, which his staff also joined. Trump too swayed with his team and the scores of white-robed Saudis.
Trump's visit coincided with President Hassan Rouhani winning a second term in the Iranian elections. Officials from both the countries used Trump's Saudi visit to urge Iran to halt support for terrorism and stop meddling in the affairs of its neighbors, the New York Times reported.
“We are closely coordinating our efforts in terms of how to counter Iran’s extremism and its export of extremism,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at a joint news conference in Riyadh with Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister.
Trump also signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia on Saturday. One of the central achievements of Trump's first day in Riyadh was the arms deal, and other investments Tillerson said could total up to $350 billion. Both al-Jubeir and Tillerson made clear the arms deal would be used to countering Iran, Reuters reported.
After a ceremony of exchanging agreements, Trump spoke to journalists where he said it was a "tremendous day" and spoke of "hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs. So I would like to thank all of the people of Saudi Arabia."
Saudi's foreign minister also called Trump's meetings with the Saudi king "the beginning of a turning point" between the United States, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies.
In comparison to Obama's welcome in Saudi Arabia when the former president had visited the kingdom last year, Trump received a more favorable welcome from King Salman. Obama was reportedly soft on Iran and hesitant on Syria during last year's visit.
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