STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
What did the United States gain from President Trump's first trip overseas in his second term?
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
He's returning from a tour through the Persian Gulf region. He struck business deals and enjoyed royal treatment from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I've been doing this for four days. I leave now and get onto a 42-year-old Boeing. But new ones are coming. New ones are coming.
MARTÍNEZ: And President Trump has talked about accepting a luxury Boeing aircraft from the Qatari royal family to use until a new fleet of planes is ready for Air Force One, raising concerns about ethics and security back home. He's also coming back without much to show on the biggest diplomatic challenge in the region, the war in Gaza.
INSKEEP: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez has been traveling with the president. Such a whirlwind trip, Franco, that when I asked you a moment ago, where are you, (laughter) took you a couple seconds to recall, which is perfectly understandable. But we're glad you're with us from where?
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: I am in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
INSKEEP: Got it. And what struck you from this trip?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, what struck me from this trip is just how dramatically the leaders pulled out all the stops for Trump. I mean, you had the fighter jets escorting Air Force One as it landed in Riyadh and later in Doha. You had the military receptions, the Arabian horses. You had the camels. And the president really seemed to love it all. But I was also struck by how little discussion there was about the crisis in Gaza, where Israel really keeps escalating its strikes, and it is promising an even greater offensive once Trump leaves.
INSKEEP: Well, what did the president focus on?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, he focused on business. I mean, in his first big speech on the trip, he said he was not there to lecture the region on how it should handle its affairs. But Trump ultimately could not entirely avoid the Gaza crisis, which, A just noted, is the biggest issue affecting the region right now. And yesterday, he again suggested that the U.S. take over Gaza and develop the land. He was actually at a business round table in Doha, and he told reporters that there was nothing left to save in Gaza.
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TRUMP: I think I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe. And Hamas is going to have to be dealt with.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, Steve, it's an idea that Arab nations, including his host this week, have strongly opposed. And I'll just add that he did offer an olive branch to Syria - a diplomatic one - agreeing to lift sanctions at the request of the Saudi's crown prince.
INSKEEP: OK. So there's Gaza. There's Syria, a separate issue. And then there's the matter of the war in Ukraine because the president said he might go to Turkey, where some of his officials are trying to negotiate an end of the war. Is he going to stop there?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, it doesn't look like it. Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't show up, and Trump said he doesn't think anything will happen until he meets with Putin directly. Trump did say this morning that they will meet as soon as a time can be set up. He mentioned, actually, that he may have gone today to Turkey, but he needs to get back and meet the newest member of the Trump family. His daughter Tiffany just had a baby.
INSKEEP: OK. Any other lasting takeaways for you?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, one thing I'm really still processing is this speech that Trump gave yesterday to service members at an Air Force base outside Doha. You know, usually, presidents don't get too political when they're talking to troops, but Trump gave what amounted to a campaign speech. I mean, he called the Biden administration evil. He said the troops who are making America great again, you know, using his slogan. He walked onto the stage to his campaign music. He walked off his stage to the campaign music. So it was just very unusual for a president.
INSKEEP: Franco, thanks so much for the insights, and safe travels home.
ORDOÑEZ: Thanks always, Steve.
INSKEEP: NPR's Franco Ordoñez in Abu Dhabi. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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