Bloomberg: Red carpet ready for Trump in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is putting on a show for Donald Trump on his first overseas trip as U.S. president.

Bloomberg said in a report that Muslim leaders will assemble in Riyadh, and there’ll be an exhibition of classic American cars as well as sports matches and concerts. It mentioned as well an online clock , which is counting down the seconds until the big day.

It said that among Gulf leaders, enthusiasm for Trump is driven by the desire for a like-minded partner in the oil-rich kingdom’s agenda.

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hailed US president as a “true friend of Muslims” and their March meeting as a “historic turning point” it added.

INTERACTIVE: Discover the full schedule of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia

It’s not only in foreign affairs that the 31-year-old prince is seeking to revolutionize Saudi policy. His ambitious economic plan, to end oil-dependence and reduce the state’s role, will likely be central in talks with Trump, according to the agency.

The program “clearly needs some outside assistance.. what Trump can effectively do on this is up to debate” the report quotes Paul Sullivan, a Middle East expert at Georgetown University.

Trump will be looking for money to flow in the opposite direction. He was elected on an “America first” platform and Bloomberg revealed that the White House has touted joint projects, from energy to technology, worth five times as much -- without giving details.. General Electric Co., BlackRock Inc and Monsanto Co. are among the companies due to send executives to Riyadh with Trump for a business summit.

The countries will sign some “big” economic deals during the visit, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a press conference Thursday.

Commercial and security ties have helped the relationship endure for decades and survive plenty of turbulence at the political level, the report. concluded.