Donald Trump on Saudi Arabia
← Back to Donald Trump ProfileThreatening to withdraw American protection, Donald Trump suggested Saudi Arabia's very existence depended on US support in a 2016 interview.
“If Saudi Arabia was without the cloak of American protection, I don’t think it would be around.”
“I get along great with all of them [Saudi Arabians]... They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much!”
Announcing his presidential candidacy, Donald Trump lauded Saudi Arabia's wealth, dependence on US protection, and the growing global oil surplus while criticizing American leadership.
“I love the Saudis. Many are in this building. They make a billion dollars a day. Whenever they have problems, we send over the ships. We say “we’re gonna protect.” What are we doing? They’ve got nothing but money... Saudi Arabia without us is gone. They're gone... Saudi Arabia is in big, big trouble. Now, thanks to fracking and other things, the oil is all over the place. And I used to say it, there are ships at sea, and this was during the worst crisis, that were loaded up with oil, and the cartel kept the price up, because, again, they were smarter than our leaders. They were smarter than our leaders.”