Trump's first commercial foray in the Middle East came in 2005, during just his second year of starring on “The Apprentice.” A Trump Tower Dubai project was envisioned as a tulip-shaped hotel to be perched on the city's manmade island shaped like a palm tree. It never materialized.

Mr. Trump has few meetings directly about pressing geopolitical challenges. Instead, he’s in the Persian Gulf to make deals.

U.S. President Donald Trump touched down in Saudi Arabia aboard Air Force One on Tuesday on the first stop of four day visit to the region, the first major overseas trip of his second term, with a focus on securing investment in the U.