By: Fern Sidman

In a high-stakes convergence of political influence and corporate power, President Donald Trump is set to travel to Saudi Arabia next week, alongside an elite roster of America’s top business leaders, for what insiders have dubbed “MAGA in the Desert,” according to a report that appeared on Tuesday in The New York Post.

The occasion is the Saudi-US Investment Forum, scheduled for May 13, where a series of billion-dollar deals in defense, artificial intelligence, technology, and healthcare are expected to be signed. The event will also feature panels and discussions that include some of the biggest names in American business — signaling a deepening partnership between Riyadh and Washington during Trump’s second term in office.

As The New York Post exclusively reported, the gathering of industry giants will include Tesla and X Corp CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Palantir CEO Alex Karp, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, and PIMCO’s Emmanuel Roman. Other prominent figures such as David Sacks, the White House’s point person on AI and cryptocurrency policy, are also slated to attend.

Despite speculation, President Trump is not expected to speak at the business forum itself, though he will be present in the kingdom for high-level meetings with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, following the investor conference. The GCC summit will be chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on May 14, according to the report in The New York Post.

A leaked invitation obtained by The Post reveals that the forum promises to “provide an exclusive opportunity to deepen engagement, unlock new investment avenues, and reaffirm our long-standing economic partnership.” The ambitious goal, initially outlined by MBS in a January 23 call with President Trump, is to ink at least $600 billion worth of investment deals — a figure that would represent one of the largest bilateral economic commitments in recent history.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will also be in attendance, representing the White House’s commitment to channeling Gulf investments into American job creation and infrastructure expansion.

“This is going to be MAGA in the desert,” a senior source told The New York Post. “It is ultimately about creating jobs in the US.” The same source speculated that the final value of signed agreements could far exceed initial expectations.

The timing of the conference is particularly significant, coinciding with geopolitical shifts in the region and a fresh wave of defense cooperation. Just days ago, the Pentagon announced that the State Department approved a $3.5 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, including AIM-120C-8 medium-range air-to-air missiles, which will be manufactured in Tucson, Arizona. The sale is currently pending Congressional approval.

As the report in The New York Post pointed out, this foreign policy and business outreach mirrors President Trump’s historic 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia, which broke modern presidential tradition by making the oil-rich kingdom his first international destination rather than opting for traditional allies like Canada or the UK. That trip laid the foundation for what would become a robust strategic relationship between Washington and Riyadh, underpinned by both economic and defense interests.

The upcoming forum is also reminiscent of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) — Saudi Arabia’s annual flagship investment summit. Many of the same corporations attending the Saudi-US Investment Forum regularly participate in FII events, but the May 13 forum is explicitly aimed at boosting U.S. economic priorities under the Trump administration’s second term.

The New York Post report also emphasized the continuing influence of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former senior advisor, who developed close ties with MBS during the Abraham Accords negotiations. Kushner’s Affinity Partners received a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) shortly after Trump left office, a signal of the deepening financial alignment between the Gulf monarchy and Trump-aligned ventures.

Trump’s Middle East tour will also include stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, further reinforcing his administration’s push to strengthen economic and security ties across the region. Though Trump’s renewed alignment with MBS and the Saudi leadership is likely to raise eyebrows in some corners, especially in light of the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the president’s strategy appears firmly rooted in economic pragmatism and mutual interest.

Relations between Washington and Riyadh had grown tense during the Biden administration, especially following a CIA report that accused MBS of involvement in Khashoggi’s murder — an accusation Saudi officials have denied, as was reported by The New York Post. Under Trump, however, those tensions have cooled, replaced by a transactional dynamic that prioritizes investment, energy security, and regional stability.

With global attention turning once again to Riyadh, the “MAGA in the Desert” summit could represent a defining moment in America’s 21st-century economic diplomacy — one that intertwines business, geopolitics, and a bold new effort to position the U.S. at the center of global innovation and investment.