This week, President Trump is taking his show on the road.

And Greg Karlstrom, from over at The Economist, he's got a front row seat.

I'm in Riyadh right now, following Donald Trump around on the first leg of his trip in the Middle East.

By Friday, Trump will have spent time in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Greg says it's hard to overstate how thrilled Middle Eastern leaders are to host the president.

I mean, there was competition, so he's coming for four days and three nights. And everyone

wanted to host him for two nights. Everyone wanted to have him for an extra night. And so there

was a lot of back and forth trying to figure out, you know, who would win in the schedule in that way.

In the end, he's spending one night in each country so that he doesn't offend anyone.

Yeah, I was struck by how comfortable Saudi Arabia seemed to want to make Trump.

Like, I was seeing that there's actually a mobile McDonald's, like, on site for the president, theoretically.

Which seemed like, wow, that's a that's a real, like, knowing the person you're talking to kind of moment.

It is. I think they get what makes him tick.

Maybe you remember Donald Trump's last state visit to this region. This was during his first term. Like now,

Saudi Arabia was chosen to receive Trump before any other ally. But Greg says there is this

problem back in 2017. It was unclear what the president wanted out of this journey, other than

pomp and circumstance. The enduring image from that

initial visit is of Trump and the Saudi King and the Egyptian president, all looming over a

glowing orb. To what end, no one seemed to know. This time around, it's clear what the president

wants.

Money.

And his hosts, in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, they seem happy to oblige.

...