In Abu Dhabi, Trump made the first visit to a mosque as president: NPR

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – President Trump visited a mosque on Thursday – his first public visit to a Muslim worship during his mandate.

His visit to the United Arab Emirates’ Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was only a judgment during a greater diplomatic visit through the Middle East, the first major foreign trip of his second term.

Trump withdrew his shoes during his visit, as is customary in the mosques, and was escorted by Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

“Isn’t it beautiful? It’s so beautiful,” said Trump. “It’s an incredible culture.”

The historic mosque is known for its white marble domes and its Italian marble floors with inlays of colorful flowers. It is a popular cultural destination for tourists, politicians and celebrity visitors in Abu Dhabi.

Trump and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, the sovereign of the water who welcomed Trump upon arrival in the country, have close ties, partly built on the decision of the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations with Israel in a historic contract during Trump’s first mandate.

His visit to the water is the third stop of his tour of the Middle East which started with two days of sumptuous ceremonies in his honor in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In each country, Trump received a ceremonial reception with Arab horses and honor guards.

Trump has an extended family business interests In the three countries, where Trump brand towers and golf courses are being developed. A water fund has also used the Trump family cryptocurrency company called World Liberty Financial Financial to close an investment of $ 2 billion in the crypto exchange.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, Everyone visited the mosque in 2020During Trump’s first term when they both worked as leaders of the administration.

Joe Biden went to the mosque During a trip in 2016, when he was vice-president.

Trump is not known to have visited mosques in the United States as president. He may have gone to a mosque in his private life, although NPR is unable to confirm it.

If it is common that the American presidents visit the churches, only a few have made official visits to the mosques, according to the Historical Association of the White House. President Dwight Eisenhower opened a Washington mosque, DC in 1957, and former President George W. Bush spoke in the same mosque in 2001 after the September 11 attacks. In 2016, former President Barack Obama visited a mosque near Baltimore.

Trump, introducing himself to the elections in 2016, suggested without evidence that hateful ideas Get out of the mosques and suggest on several occasions that they are placed under surveillance. And when he took office, Trump made the promise of Prohibit the trips of certain Muslim majority countries.

But he has since moderated his tone. In the November elections, Arab and Muslim voters helped to deliver the michigan swing state to Trump – partly by making ballots for third -party candidates. Many of them have expressed their disappointment with regard to the unwavering support of the Biden-Harris administration in the War of Israel in Gaza, despite tens of thousands of civil causalities.

“The Muslim community was there for us in November. And even if I am president, I will be there for you,” said Trump in March in a White House Iftar during Ramadan.

Since its inauguration, however, its already fried relationship with Muslim voters seems to have been embittered. A ceasefire in the War of Israel-Hamas negotiated in the last days of the Biden administration collapsed. Residents of the Gaza Strip have not been able to receive aid for weeks due to an Israeli blockade. At the national level, the administration owned Muslim residents as part of its broader repression of immigration, arresting several Muslim students who have spoken to support Palestinian rights.

During his water visit, Trump again launched the idea – unpopular with Arab leaders – to take control of the Gaza Strip.

“I would be proud to make the United States, to do so, to do an area of ​​freedom, to let good things happen,” said Trump.

The president should conclude his trip to the Middle East on Friday.