Saudi Arabia distant from Biden, very close to Trump
Saudi Arabia distant from Biden, very close to Trump
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States had a completely different nature under the presidencies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Trump’s visit in 2025 once again highlighted Saudi Arabia’s strategic inclinations in regional and global policies.
During Trump’s first term, Saudi Arabia warmly welcomed U.S. policies, and Trump’s first foreign trip was directly to Saudi Arabia, indicating the strategic importance of the relationship between the two countries.
This visit was accompanied by grand ceremonies and the signing of large economic and military agreements worth hundreds of billions of dollars. During Trump’s era, Saudi Arabia greatly benefited from his administration’s anti-Iranian stance, particularly the withdrawal from the JCPOA and maximum pressure against Iran, and witnessed unwavering U.S. support for its regional policies, including the Yemen war.
Trump had a pragmatic view of foreign policy and paid less attention to Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues, including the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
This disregard allowed Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, more freedom in implementing domestic and regional policies and pursuing large economic projects like Vision 2030 with Washington’s support.
In this period, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. was based on shared economic and military interests, with less ideological conflict, which enhanced cooperation between the two countries.
However, with Joe Biden taking office and changing the U.S. government’s approach, Saudi Arabia’s relations with Washington became significantly colder.
From the beginning, especially during the election campaign, Biden had a critical stance on human rights issues in Saudi Arabia and its domestic policies, condemning the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Biden had promised to isolate Saudi Arabia due to its human rights behavior.
During Biden’s era, relations were limited to strategic issues like energy and regional security. The global energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war pushed the U.S. closer to Saudi Arabia, but this interaction was also lacking warmth and was entirely focused on economic needs.
Moreover, unlike Trump, Biden was less inclined to align with Saudi Arabia’s aggressive policies against Iran and repeatedly tried to restrain the country. Saudi Arabia adopted a more independent foreign policy during Biden’s term and sought to establish balanced relations with other powers, including China and Russia.
With Donald Trump’s return to power in 2025 and his official visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh once again warmly welcomed the U.S. president.
Saudi Arabia’s warm reception of Trump in this period also indicates the country’s effort to rebuild a strategic alliance with the U.S. after a period of cold relations during Biden’s time.
Aware of Trump’s pragmatic approach and his lesser focus on human rights issues, Saudi Arabia is once again seeking to attract massive economic cooperation and U.S. military supplies.
In this period, there is also the possibility of major economic agreements in the fields of energy, military weapons, and technology.
Trump still considers Saudi Arabia one of the main pillars of his anti-Iran coalition, and Saudi Arabia supports Trump’s aggressive approach in its policies against Iran.
This alignment, as Saudi Arabia seeks to reduce Iran’s influence in the region, has paved the way for closer ties.
Saudi Arabia’s warm welcome of Trump also signals Riyadh’s attempt to bring the U.S. back to broader military and economic cooperation in the region.
Domestically, Mohammed bin Salman uses the warm welcome of Trump to solidify his political position, viewing this move as a step towards increasing his international legitimacy.
Saudi Arabia hopes to reach agreements with Trump that were unattainable during Biden’s term due to his focus on human rights and restrictive policies.
Overall, Saudi Arabia’s behavior towards U.S. presidents, from warmly welcoming Trump in both terms to the cold relations with Biden, reflects the country’s pragmatic approach in foreign policy.
Saudi Arabia is taking advantage of Trump’s renewed presidency to rebuild the strategic relations that were weakened during Biden’s era and position itself as a key ally in U.S. regional and global policies.
This behavior also emphasizes the importance of Saudi Arabia as a flexible player in a multipolar global order, seeking to secure its interests through balanced relations with major powers.
