Horses, trumpets and fighter jets make for an elaborate White House welcome for Saudi crown prince
Horses, trumpets and fighter jets make for an elaborate White House welcome for Saudi crown prince
01:04
A line of mounted dark horses escorted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s limo up the White House driveway, kicking off an elaborate diplomatic display that is essentially a state visit in everything but name.
Military bands trumpeted the prince’s arrival, and a flyover of fighter jets — including F-35s, the same kind Donald Trump says he’ll sell to Riyadh — buzzed overhead as the US president welcomed the Saudi leader to the South Lawn.
Delegations from both countries lined an orange carpet, and an honor guard stood at attention as Prince bin Salman emerged from his Mercedes to greet Trump. They shook hands, and Trump grasped the prince’s shoulder, before they smiled for a photo-op.
The trumpets blared, the honor guard saluted, and the two men walked into the South Portico.
Tuesday’s visit isn’t classified as a state visit, but only because the crown prince isn’t Saudi Arabia’s head of state — his father, 89-year-old King Salman, is.
But in pulling out all the diplomatic stops, Trump is signaling the importance of Saudi Arabia to American interests, and his respect for the prince.
