Trump, Bin Salman, and the Hollow Economic Investment Plan
The American newspaper The New York Times has revealed startling insights into the fragile foundation of the much-hyped U.S.-Saudi investment partnership during the Trump administration. According to the report, Saudi Arabia is facing a staggering deficit of $70 billion, driven largely by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s overly ambitious economic projects. The report notes that, in reality, the Kingdom simply does not have the financial capacity to fulfill the massive investment commitments it has made.
A key issue highlighted in the report is that the Trump administration cannot control global oil prices—Saudi Arabia’s primary revenue stream—nor can it realistically expect large-scale investments from a country already struggling to meet its domestic development targets. Bin Salman’s promise to Trump of multi-billion-dollar investments far exceeds the total value of the Saudi Development Fund’s assets, raising serious doubts about the feasibility of such commitments.
What was marketed as a transformative economic partnership now appears to be more of a political showpiece than a viable financial strategy. The Trump administration, eager to showcase foreign investment and job creation, used Saudi pledges as political leverage without verifying their practical implementation. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, under Bin Salman’s leadership, has overpromised in its pursuit of international clout and economic modernization, despite its weakening fiscal position.
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The report also highlights the vulnerability of such political-economic alignments that rely more on public relations than actual liquidity. With oil prices fluctuating and the Kingdom facing high youth unemployment, dwindling reserves, and unfinished mega-projects, the promised investments may never materialize.
This situation underscores the risks involved when political alliances are built on unrealistic economic expectations, and it casts serious doubts on the sustainability of the Trump-Bin Salman economic vision.
