Bin Salman and Ronaldo dine with Trump
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has visited Donald Trump at the White House and brought several gifts including billions in investments and arms deals. He was accompanied by the most famous footballer on the planet, Ronaldo, who is under contract with the Saudi club Al-Nassr. Commentators examine the three men's shared interests and take a critical view of the meeting.
Excellent American-Saudi relations
For Saudi Arabia, the visit could hardly have gone better, writes The Economist:
“On November 18th Donald Trump welcomed Muhammad bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, with all the pomp America could muster, including a military fly-past and a black-tie dinner at the White House. The two men signed deals for investment, arms sales and nuclear co-operation. Mr Trump declared Saudi Arabia a 'major non-Nato ally'. After a decade of tension, American-Saudi relations look back on solid footing. Look closer, though, and the deals were typical Trump: long on promises, short on specifics.”
Only money counts for the White House
Trump is engaging in cynical realpolitik, the taz criticises:
“Rich states can do whatever they want, powerful countries are not subject to any restrictions. And Saudi Arabia is needed again: for stability in the Middle East, for the normalisation of relations between Arab states and Israel, for a solution to the Palestinian question and as a counterweight to Iran. ... In another conflict – Russia's war on Ukraine – the oil power Saudi Arabia is doing nothing to support Trump's policy of tougher sanctions against Russia. Moscow is still a partner in the OPEC cartel of oil states. But all Trump cares about is money, although he's still speculating on winning the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The more brutal the better
The worst thing about the meeting is Trump's attitude towards autocrats like Mohammed bin Salman, La Libre Belgique stresses:
“He trivialises acts of extreme cruelty (the mutilation of Jamal Khashoggi) and tarnishes the memory of this dissident who, sensing the danger closing in on him, had already gone into exile in the United States, where he was working for the Washington Post. ... Donald Trump once again confirms his irrepressible attraction to autocratic rulers and shady or brutal personalities, whose achievements he regularly praises and whom he claims to hold in high esteem or even regards as friends. In addition to reflecting the president's own inclinations, this attitude also appears to be a powerful negotiating tool. Cynical and appalling.”
Ronaldo warming up for a career in politics?
Is Cristiano Ronaldo planning to go into politics? asks communications scientist Dinis de Oliveira Fernandes in Público:
“There are diplomats who spend their entire lives trying to get into the White House; Ronaldo has succeeded because President Trump's son is 'a fan'. ... We don't know of a single consistent political position held by Cristiano Ronaldo. Nothing. Zero. Whether on the economy, human rights, the role of the state, or foreign policy. But ironically, this is the area where he currently seems to be more active than many diplomats. His political vision exists, but it is not visible. Meanwhile, Cristiano is accumulating global influence, media capital, power networks and the kind of international visibility that other Portuguese politicians would die for.”