Staff Reporter
Some of the most influential business leaders in the United States are set to gather in Riyadh for the Saudi-US Investment Forum, dubbed “MAGA in the Desert.”
The event aims to attract U.S. investment as former President Donald Trump prepares for a key visit next week to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to strengthen regional ties, according to the New York Post.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink are among those expected to attend the forum on May 13.
Other notable attendees include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Palantir CEO Alex Karp, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser.
High-ranking officials from the Trump administration are also expected to participate, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks.
“This is going to be MAGA in the desert. It’s ultimately about creating jobs in the U.S.,” a source noted.
According to the Post, the corporate gathering will take place just before Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, known as “MBS,” hosts a summit with the U.S. and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
The forum aims to finalize agreements across various sectors, including defense, AI, technology, and healthcare, with a projected value exceeding $600 billion—an ambitious target set by MBS during a call with Trump following his second presidential term.
Recently, the Department of Defense announced the State Department’s approval of a potential $3.5 billion sale of AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia, set to be assembled by RTX Corporation in Tucson, Arizona.
On Tuesday, the Saudi cabinet revealed plans to discuss a potential cooperation agreement with the United States in the mining and mineral resources sector, as reported by the state news agency and obtained by Reuters.
