Trump cites $ 600 billion in Saudi transactions, but the real figure seems lower

The White House said on Tuesday that President Trump, when he was in Saudi Arabia, had obtained $ 600 billion in transactions with the government and Saudi companies. But the details provided by the White House were vague and totaled less than half of this number.

And a more in -depth examination of the projects provided by the administration which shows several were already underway before Mr. Trump took office.

The announcement was made just before Mr. Trump speaks to a rally of business leaders at the US-SAUDI Investment Forum in Riyadh, where he said that the only hot country than the United States was Saudi Arabia.

“We swing,” he said. “The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country.”

Before turning to serious questions of foreign policy, notably news that he raised sanctions against Syria, Trump served by his favorite discussion points, denigrating his predecessor, former president Joseph R. Biden Jr., and boasting of wearing swing states in the elections.

“The Arab Peninsula-Beautiful place,” he said. “Beautiful place.”