Saudi Arabia Finds Trump's Protection Has Limits Despite Billions in Deals
Riyadh's massive US investment pledges failed to secure American military backing when Houthi attacks escalated, exposing flaws in MBS's transactional strategy.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spent years building a carefully calculated relationship with Donald Trump, premised on the assumption that economic largesse would translate into security guarantees. That calculation is now facing a serious stress test as Washington declined Saudi requests for assistance following an escalation in Houthi attacks against the kingdom.
The crown prince, known widely as MBS, leaned into Trump's openly transactional style of diplomacy from the outset. Riyadh signed agreements to purchase billions of dollars in US weaponry and directed additional billions toward American corporate investments, treating financial commitments as a form of geopolitical insurance.
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When Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, MBS moved quickly to deepen those ties. The crown prince pledged to expand bilateral trade and investment by $600 billion over four years — a figure he later revised upward to nearly $1 trillion. Analysts noted the ambiguity of that promise, given that the sum approaches Saudi Arabia's entire annual gross domestic product, raising questions about how such capital deployment would be practically achieved.
Despite that extraordinary financial courtship, the US reportedly turned down Saudi calls for help as Houthi forces intensified their strikes. The episode suggests that Trump's approach to alliances — rooted in deal-making rather than treaty obligations — offers partners less reliable cover than traditional security frameworks, even when those partners have paid handsomely for goodwill. For Riyadh, the episode underscores a structural vulnerability: bilateral relationships built on investment pledges may not hold when military stakes are highest.
The situation marks a broader inflection point for Gulf states that assumed alignment with Trump's inner circle — including son-in-law Jared Kushner — would yield durable strategic protection. Saudi Arabia is now confronting the limits of that assumption in real time. Continue reading at Business | The Guardian.
