BEIRUT — When President Trump heads to Saudi Arabia on Friday for his first trip overseas since taking office, it will be for much more than a run-of-the-mill state visit.
The Saudis have internationalized the event, organizing a sprawling “Arab Islamic American Summit’’ with leaders from dozens of Muslim countries, as well as talks with the king, the inauguration of a counterterrorism center, public forums for business executives and young people, and a country music concert.
Saudi Arabia will pull out all the stops for a man who has declared “Islam hates us’’ and said the United States is “losing a tremendous amount of money’’ defending the kingdom.
But Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies were so angry over former president Barack Obama’s policies that they appeared prepared to dismiss Trump’s remarks as campaign rhetoric.
The grandiose reception seeks to convince Trump that his priorities are theirs, too, and that they are indispensable partners in fighting terrorism, in confronting Iran, in bolstering US businesses, and perhaps even in pursuing peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
“This administration has vision that matches the view of the kingdom with regards to the role of America in the world, with regards to getting rid of terrorism, with regards to confronting Iran, with regards to rebuilding relations with traditional allies, with regards to trade and investment,’’ Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, told reporters Thursday.
The number of events scheduled throughout the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday and Sunday is staggering, as the Saudis seek to project their country as a dynamic place, a leader in the Arab and Islamic worlds, and a close ally of the United States. The Stars and Stripes are flying in Riyadh, intermixed with Saudi flags.
There are three summit meetings: between Trump and King Salman, the Saudi monarch; between Trump and the leaders of a Gulf coalition, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates; and between Trump and more than 50 leaders and representatives from across the Muslim world.
Expected to attend are 37 heads of state and at least six prime ministers, said Osama Nugali, a spokesman for the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Reported to be attending are President Fuad Masum of Iraq, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan.
Not on the guest list are Iran, the Saudis’ regional nemesis, and Syria, whose president, Bashar Assad, is at war with rebels who have received support from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other countries that will be in Riyadh.
“Historic Summit. Brighter Future,’’ declares an official website for Trump’s visit.
Many of Obama’s Middle East policies angered the Saudis, including what they saw as his giving up on President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, a longtime US ally, during the Arab Spring protests; his hesitation to intervene directly in the Syria conflict; and his pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran.
The distaste for Obama grew so strong that when he visited the kingdom last year, only a small delegation met him at the airport and state television did not broadcast his arrival.
“Any new president has to be better than President Obama, because no one was worse for us than Obama,’’ said Salman al-Dossary, a writer for the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
In Trump, many Saudis see a decisive, business-focused leader, who they say shares their goals in the region.
They applauded his military strike on a Syrian air base after Assad’s forces used chemical weapons, and they have noted his tough talk on Iran. They hope he will increase support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen against rebels — aligned with Iran — who have seized the capital, Sana. And they see a role for US investment in efforts to shift the Saudi economy from its dependence on oil.
Saudi Arabia has also pitched itself as a Muslim ally against Islamic State militants, and Trump’s desire to moderate his stance on Islam was among the reasons he chose Riyadh as his first stop overseas as president, according to administration officials.
Trump also hopes states like Saudi Arabia can help broker a deal between Israel and the Palestinians — an idea some Persian Gulf leaders have privately entertained.
