Did you know shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, he went to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who, after Trump's visit, arrested hundreds of Saudi royalty (some killed) in a kingdom-wide, anti-corruption purge?
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The Full Story
Saudi Arabia, May 20, 2017
President Trump’s official first overseas visit was to Saudi Arabia where he was greeted by the King with red carpet and a royal ceremony — a courtesy that was never extended to his predecessor, Barack Obama or during Joe Biden's July 2022 visit.
Saudi Arabia was home to the fourth richest man in the world, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. Al-Waleed was a prominent businessman, owning major stakes in Apple, 21st Century Fox, Citigroup, Twitter and many other large companies.
Al-Waleed voiced his opposition of Donald Trump when he tweeted on December 11, 2015, ".@realDonaldTrump You are a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America. Withdraw from the U.S presidential race as you will never win."
Al-Waleed helped with Barack Obama's admission into Harvard Law School in 1988. Obama's relationship with Al-Waleed came to light in March 2008 on a local New York City show called Inside City Hall.
President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, the wealthiest person in the Middle East on FORBES list of billionaires, arrested, November 4, 2017 in Kingdom-wide anti-corruption mass arrest.
March 2013 Reddit discussion about a different picture of Barack Obama's mother. "I got the picture about 5 years ago from a friend. Apparently their grower's dad used to hang out with Obama, the original caption was 'My dad and Barry back in the day'."
The 2017-2019 Saudi Arabian Purge
Beginning on November 4, 2017, the Saudi government, led by Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, performed an "anti-corruption" mass arrest which included dozens of senior Saudi figures, including Prince Al-Waleed.
The arrest of Al-Waleed and his fellow billionaire royals was shocking to the entire Saudi Kingdom (similar to if Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Elon Musk all got arrested at the same time).
The detainees were confined at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which subsequently stopped accepting new bookings and told guests to leave. Private jets were also grounded to prevent suspects from fleeing the country.
Hundreds arrested
As many as 500 Saudi royalty and businessmen were arrested in the anti-corruption sting.
Banks froze over 2,000 domestic accounts in the crackdown. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Saudi government targeted cash and assets worth up to $800 billion.
The Saudi authorities claimed the amount was composed of assets worth around $300 billion to $400 billion that they can prove was linked to corruption.
Prince bin Salman stated:
"We show them all the files that we have, and as soon as they see those, about 95 percent agree to a settlement... About 1 percent are able to prove they are clean and their case is dropped right there. About 4 percent say they are not corrupt and with their lawyers want to go to court."
The anti-corruption mission ended on 30 January 2019, with 381 individuals apprehended and $107 billion recovered to the state treasury.
Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud said, "We show them all the files that we have, and as soon as they see those, about 95 percent agree to a settlement..."
Trump's Sword Dance
While in Saudia Arabia , President Trump participated in the Sword Dance. This traditional dance (Ardah) was only performed during wars and it was initially performed by Arab warriors before meeting their enemies on the battlefield. Sword dancing was a way for the Arab men to display their weaponry and show their heroic spirit to the enemy.
Trump Sword Dance
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