Musk among key Trump advisers on Saudi trip
by TheHill.com - 05/13/25 8:40 AM ET
President Trump has arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the start of a tour of the Middle East that will include visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
He was joined by a plethora of top advisers, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and scores of other worldwide business leaders.
The trip marks Trump’s first extended foreign visit of his second term. His itinerary on Tuesday includes an official state visit, a state dinner and attending a Saudi investment forum.
Trump and his aides are expected to focus intensely on financial investments and trade during the trip, but it will also be shadowed by controversy over a Qatari luxury jet being gifted to the U.S. to be used as a new Air Force One.
Meanwhile in Congress, House Republicans are moving ahead this week with two of the most controversial pieces to the “big beautiful bill” at the heart of Trump’s agenda.
A powerful set of panels, the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, are set Tuesday to consider steep cuts to Medicaid and an extension of the GOP’s 2017 tax cuts.
The mark ups stand to expose deep divisions within the Republican conference that pit moderates against conservatives, which stands to delay implementation of Trump’s key domestic policies.
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12 minutes ago
Optics of Qatar jet gift to Trump 'beyond awful': New York Post
Dominick Mastrangelo
The New York Post’s editorial board is slamming President Trump over his acceptance of a Qatari jet to temporarily replace Air Force One, which is three decades old.
“What is President Trump thinking?” the Post wrote in an editorial published late Monday. “And the optics are beyond awful, especially as Congress mulls hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts.”
It may be acceptable, the Post said, “for Qatar to temporarily lend a plane to America for fill-in use.”
Full story here.
19 minutes ago
House Republicans propose major reforms to SNAP
Aris Folley
Julia Manchester
House Republicans rolled out legislation Monday evening that would make significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as the party seeks deep cuts to federal spending as part of a broader plan to advance President Trump’s legislative agenda.
The 97-page text from the House Agriculture Committee includes provisions that would require states to cover a portion of SNAP benefit costs, tighten eligibility requirements for the program, and seek to block the federal government from being able to increase monthly benefits in the future.
The panel is set to hold a meeting on the legislation later on Tuesday afternoon, with hopes to advance the text out of committee.
Read more here.
35 minutes ago
Budget airline begins deportation flights
Ashleigh Fields
Avelo Airlines, a budget carrier, began deportation flights from Arizona on Monday under contract with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Flights departed from the Mesa Gateway Airport outside Phoenix, according to The Associated Press, which added that the company will use three Boeing 737-800s for the removals.
Read more here.
36 minutes ago
Plouffe blames Biden for ‘f‑‑‑ing nightmare’ Harris campaign
Elizabeth Crisp
David Plouffe, a top adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, describes the race against President Trump as “a f‑‑‑ing nightmare.”
The pundit cast blame on former President Biden for his late-stage decision to withdraw from the race, according to a book set to be released next week.
“He totally f‑‑‑ed us,” Plouffe is quoted say in “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”
Read more here.
37 minutes ago
Trump, MBS sign agreement of strategic economic partnership
agangitano
Trump and the crown prince signed an agreement of strategic economic partnership after their bilat, sitting at a table together for the signing and shaking hands.
The agreement includes a memorandum of understanding on energy, a letter of intent for future defense capabilities, a memorandum of understanding on mineral resources, a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice and a cooperation on space and infection diseases, according to reporters traveling with Trump.
Secretary of State Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles were in the room for the signing event.
38 minutes ago
Small nodule discovered in Biden’s prostate
Filip Timotija
Former President Biden’s regular medical exam last week revealed a “small nodule” on his prostate, his spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” a Biden spokesperson told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation. The spokesperson did not elaborate further.
Biden, 82, spent time Friday in a Philadelphia hospital, according to The New York Times, which first reported on the development.
Read more here.
38 minutes ago
Ex-White House ethics lawyer says jet gift violates Emoluments Clause
Filip Timotija
President Trump’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane from the Qatari government is “obviously” a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, according to a former White House ethics lawyer.
“Everybody gets a $400 million plane from the government of Qatar. They give them out like the M&M’s … I and Alyssa [Farah Griffin] used to enjoy in the White House mess. I mean, it‘s so obviously a violation of the emoluments clause,” Norm Eisen, the executive director of the legal advocacy group State Democracy Defenders Fund, said Monday on CNN’s “AC360.”
“I litigated these issues in multiple courts that found Trump had implicated emoluments rules the first time around. It‘s unconstitutional,” Eisen, a vocal critic of the president, told host Anderson Cooper. “And even his own party is calling him out on it.”
More here.
an hour ago
ICYMI: Laura Loomer says Qatari jet gift a ‘stain’ on Trump presidency
srai
Conservative provocateur Laura Loomer, who has been a staunch supporter of President Trump, called him out over the weekend as the White House prepares to receive a $400 million Boeing jet from the Qatari government.
“I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him,” Loomer wrote in a post on the social platform X. “But, I have to call a spade a spade. We cannot accept a $400 million ‘gift’ from jihadists in suits.”
Read the full story here.
an hour ago
Inflation rises, but lower than expected
Sylvan Lane
Inflation picked up speed in April after declining in March, according to data released Tuesday by the Labor Department.
The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2 percent last month and is up 2.3 percent over the past year, according to the Labor Department. The annual inflation rate without volatile food or energy prices was 2.8 percent.
Prices fell 0.1 percent in March, though the annual inflation rate was slightly higher at 2.4 percent.
Economists expected price growth to pick up again amid deepening concerns about the impact of President Trump’s trade agenda, though the April inflation report came in slightly below expectations.
Read more here.
2 hours ago
Trump greets longtime Saudi ambassador
rrahman
Trump greets Saudi Ambassador to the United States Reema bint Bandar Al Saud. She was made ambassador during Trump’s first term in 2019 and stayed in her position through the Biden presidency. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)
2 hours ago
Trump calls crown prince a friend
Alex Gangitano
Trump and the crown prince sat down for a bilat at the royal court during a massive luncheon, during which the president called him a friend.
Trump said they have developed a good relationship and recalled traveling to Saudi Arabia in 2017, which was also the first extended foreign trip of his first term. The president said he hoped Saudi investments will help create jobs in the U.S.
He joked that $600 billion could be a trillion.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said.
2 hours ago
Musk joins Trump at Saudi trip
rrahman
Elon Musk, center, departs a luncheon hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for President Trump at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)
3 hours ago
Trump, crown prince meet at royal palace
President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speak during a meeting at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)
3 hours ago
Trump's Qatari jet gift casting shadow on Saudi trip
Al Weaver
The Saudi trip comes on the heels of Trump on Monday defending his potential acceptance of a new Boeing 747-8 airplane from the government of Qatar to serve as a replacement for the current pair of Air Force One aircraft, saying that it would be “stupid” not to do so.
Senate Republicans indicated they have multiple concerns with Trump potentially being gifted a new luxury jet from Qatar, ranging from safety to legal and ethical worries.
The gift came just days before Trump is set to land in the gulf country.
Read more here.
3 hours ago
Trump's Middle East trip: 5 things to watch
Brett Samuels
Alex Gangitano
During the trip, Trump and his aides are expected to focus intensely on financial investments and trade, but it will also be shadowed by controversy over a Qatari luxury jet being gifted to the U.S. to be used as a new Air Force One.
The Russia-Ukraine war will also likely come up, as officials plan to meet in Turkey on Thursday.
Read 5 things to watch on Trump’s trip to the Middle East.
3 hours ago
Elon Musk joins Trump on Saudi trip
rrahman
The president’s first stop at the royal court included a coffee meeting and lunch.
A host of global business leaders joined, including Trump adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to U.S. reporters who are traveling with Trump.
Other attendees included FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Boeing CEO Arvind Krishna, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R), among dozens of others.
Dozens of Saudi business leaders also attended.
3 hours ago
AF1 escorted by Saudi F-15s
rrahman
As Air Force One descended into King Khalid International Airport, six Saudi F-15s escorted the presidential plane, according to reporters traveling with the president.
Two fighter jets were spotted on the left side of the plane and three on the right that cruised along in close proximity.
Later, the presidential limousine was escorted to the royal court by Arabian horses.
4 hours ago
Saudis greet Trump with elaborate ceremonies
rrahman
President Trump touched down in Riyadh early Tuesday morning and was met with an elaborate welcoming ceremony at the royal court.
A lavender carpet was rolled out at the airport, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeting Trump and a host of American officials including Elon Musk.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are also on the trip, as is chief of staff Susie Wiles.
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