In his first overseas trip as President of the United States, Donald Trump was welcomed warmly by the royal family in Saudi Arabia. He was even awarded the country’s top civilian honour, ‘The Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal’, at the Royal Court Palace on Saturday.
However, a brief moment of Trump on camera was captured during the ceremony, when Trump appeared to bow before King Salman while receiving the award.
Trump had something to explain, as he accused his predecessor, Barack Obama of “bowing” to the monarchy during the former president’s visit. According to US media reports, Obama’s ‘bent-waist handshake’ had led to a controversy during the first year of his presidency.
Moreover, Trump’s old tweets on former US First Lady Michelle Obama has come back to him. He had earlier criticised Michelle for not wearing a headscarf on her visit to Saudi Arabia. Reacting to this and the Saudi Arabian culture, Trump had said, “we have enough enemies”. In this visit, Trump’s wife and US First Lady Melania Trump also did not wear a scarf on her head.
However, the two nations signed deals worth more than $350 billion, which looks like a great start to his first overseas visit.
