Articles

# In Riyadh, President Trump Charts the Course for a Prosperous Future in the Middle East

The White House
May 13, 2025

President Donald J. Trump just wrapped up a major address in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he outlined an optimistic vision for the future of the Middle East and his approach to achieving a more stable region and peaceful world.

Here are the top moments:

- “Exactly eight years ago this month, I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive out the forces of terrorism and extremism … and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations anywhere in the world as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East.” (Watch)
- “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together — not bombing each other out of existence.” (Watch)
- “This great transformation has not come from Western interventionists … giving you lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. No, the gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called ‘nation-builders,’ ‘neo-cons,’ or ‘liberal non-profits,’ like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad, so many other cities. Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves … developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions, and charting your own destinies.” (Watch)
- “In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built — and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves.” (Watch)
- “After so many decades of conflict, finally it is within our grasp to reach the future that generations before us could only dream about — a land of peace, safety, harmony, opportunity, innovation, and achievement right here in the Middle East.” (Watch)
- “I am here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future.” (Watch)
- “As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be very profound.” (Watch)
- “My preference will always be for peace and partnership, whenever those outcomes can be achieved. Always.” (Watch)
- “In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins … I believe it is God’s job to sit in judgement — my job [is] to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace.” (Watch)
- “Following repeated attacks on American ships and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the United States military launched more than 1,100 strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. As a result, the Houthis agreed to stop … We hit them hard, we got what we came for — and then we got out.” (Watch)
- “My administration stands ready to help Lebanon create a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors.” (Watch)
- “In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.” (Watch)
- “If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all of humanity will soon be amazed at what they will see right here in this geographic center of the world … and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths.” (Watch)

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