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UPDATE: Lebanese authorities say the death toll from the Israeli strike on Hamas in Lebanon has risen to 13.

Saudi Arabia’s leadership signaled a massive expansion of its financial footprint in the United States, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telling President Donald Trump that the kingdom will boost its expected investments from $600 billion to about $1 trillion. The dramatic increase reflects strong confidence in the direction of the U.S. economy and Trump’s aggressive focus on economic growth.

Their conversation at the White House on Tuesday began with Trump applauding the already-announced $600 billion commitment. But he wasted no time in urging the crown prince to go even further. “Because he’s my friend, he might make it a trillion, but I’m gonna have to work on him,” Trump said.

Mohammed bin Salman did not hesitate to meet the challenge. He told Trump that Saudi Arabia would raise its investment target to $1 trillion, a pledge he then restated publicly. According to Al Jazeera, the crown prince affirmed that the previously unveiled $600 billion plan “will increase to $1 trillion.”

Trump, prodding him to confirm the leap, asked: “You’re telling me now the $600 billion will be $1 trillion?” The crown prince answered plainly: “Definitely.”

Al Jazeera also highlighted a social-media message quoting the crown prince: “We will announce an increase in our investments in the United States to reach approximately one trillion dollars.”

The original initiative called for hundreds of billions to flow into American energy ventures, infrastructure projects, security cooperation, and technology partnerships over a four-year span. Some of that funding is already translating into major agreements—from multibillion-dollar weapons purchases to advanced AI-related deals as Saudi-aligned firms partner with chipmakers and cloud providers to construct data centers and artificial-intelligence hubs.

The exchange underscored Trump’s signature approach to global diplomacy, one that pairs political alliances with demands for tangible economic rewards inside the United States.

Saudi advisers have maintained that the enormous spending reflects their confidence in Trump’s tax and regulatory reforms, predicting they will unlock substantial opportunities for both the kingdom’s sovereign wealth entities and private-sector investors.

For the crown prince, the move fits neatly into his Vision 2030 blueprint, which seeks to broaden Saudi Arabia’s economic base beyond oil. Yet the bulk of this expanded investment is expected to pour into U.S. production facilities, energy infrastructure, construction, and frontier technology.

Uncertainties remain about the timeline for deploying a full trillion dollars and about how much of the total will come from public versus private Saudi sources.

Still, the understanding forged between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman points to a potentially transformative chapter in the relationship between Washington and Riyadh.

{Matzav.com}

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