Trump to welcome the Saudi crown prince with arrival ceremony, deal signings and lavish dinner

By SEUNG MIN KIM and MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press WASHINGTON AP It s not an official state visit but the White House is preparing to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next week with the pomp and circumstance that is typical of one Related Articles As physical condition companies get bigger so do the bills It s unclear if Trump s crew will intervene Can federal immigration agents go in schools Here s what to know Using detainees and prisoners as photo props has a long history in American politics Court blocks new rules limiting which immigrants can get commercial drivers licenses New prosecutor takes on the Georgia referendum circumstance against Trump and others The crown prince s day at the White House next Tuesday will begin with an arrival ceremony on the sweeping South Lawn and a subsequent greeting on the South Portico according to a senior White House official Then Trump will host him in the Oval Office for a bilateral meeting followed by a signing and lunch in the Cabinet Room where the U S and Saudi Arabia will formalize multiple economic and defense agreements stated the official granted anonymity to discuss the administration s planning Later in the evening the White House will hold an East Room dinner hosted and planned by first lady Melania Trump His visit is billed as an official working visit because Prince Mohammed is not technically a head of state the official revealed On Wednesday dozens of CEOs are expected to attend a meeting of the U S -Saudi Business Council at the Kennedy Center the fine arts facility that is now led and managed by Trump loyalists Though the U S president s attendance is not yet approved for the business meeting he is likely to attend the senior White House official commented Trump s relationship with the Gulf nations has been a top foreign agenda priority for the president in his second term His first major trip abroad was a tour of the United Arab Emirates Qatar and Saudi Arabia where Trump was welcomed with an exceptionally rare Air Force One escort by royal Saudi Air Force F- s and a state dinner at a UNESCO heritage site I really believe we like each other a lot Trump mentioned as he met with Prince Mohammed in the royal palace in Riyadh Later Trump described Prince Mohammed as an incredible man and my friend It also marks the first trip to the United States by the crown prince since the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in during Trump s first term U S intelligence agencies have noted Prince Mohammed likely directed the killing resulting in sanctions against several Saudi personnel He denies his involvement and both the Trump and Biden administrations have worked to mend ties with Saudi Arabia since