Trump Champions ‘America First’ at Saudi-Backed Investment Summit, Criticizes Zelenskyy 👉 Updatem News

President Trump thanked the Saudis for hosting the peace talks in Riyadh but accused Zelenskyy of backing out of a rare earths deal.

President Donald Trump headlined a Saudi-backed investment summit in Miami on Feb. 19, delivering a campaign-style speech focused on his America First agenda, urging investors to put their money in the United States.

During his speech, Trump also took a moment to defend his comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while also thanking the Saudis for hosting the peace talks this week aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. He then launched a fresh attack on Zelenskyy, accusing him of recently backing out of a rare earths deal with the United States.

Trump addressed the three-day summit hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, where global financiers and tech executives have been gathering since Feb. 19.

During his speech, the U.S. president praised his first four weeks in office and told investors, “The golden age of America has officially begun.”

“We’ve accomplished more in four weeks than most administrations accomplish in four years,” he said.

Trump wasn’t addressing his usual crowd, but rather a diverse international audience. Before beginning his speech, Trump stood on stage as “God Bless the U.S.A.” played. He then spoke for more than an hour before wrapping up with “Y.M.C.A.,” the song he frequently used to close his rallies.

During his remarks, the room was so packed that there was barely space for people to walk.

Among attendees were billionaire Elon Musk, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew was also listed among the featured speakers at the summit.

Trump ran through a lengthy list of achievements, from attracting investments to securing the border and planning new tariffs on other countries during his first 30 days in office.

He said he would announce tariffs on cars, semiconductors, chips, pharmaceuticals, lumber, and more “over the next month or sooner.”

“It’s going to have a big impact on America,” Trump told investors.

He also praised Musk’s role in finding government waste and fraud, calling him “a very serious person” with a “high IQ.”

“He’s got his faults also, I will tell you that, but not too many of them,” he joked.

Trump then rattled off a list of savings he’d achieved, making the crowd laugh.

‘We Can Make a Deal With Russia’

During his speech, Trump spoke about this week’s peace talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, saying they were going well before criticizing Zelenskyy.

“The only thing he was really good at was playing Joe Biden like a fiddle,” Trump said of the Ukrainian president.

His remarks came after a back-and-forth between the two leaders on Feb. 19, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of being influenced by disinformation and undermining efforts to diplomatically isolate Russia.

Trump said the United States spent far more than Europe in supporting Ukraine, yet received nothing in return.

“We had a deal based on rare earth and things, but they broke that deal,” Trump told the crowd. “They broke it two days ago.”

Trump thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud for hosting the “historic talks” in Riyadh on Feb. 18, where his top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met with Russian diplomats. Ukrainian representatives were not invited to the meeting.

Trump continued his criticism of Zelenskyy during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One as he headed back to Washington, explaining that Ukraine “more or less” agreed to a deal on rare earths. He said that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited Ukraine but “was treated rather rudely” as Zelenskyy declined to meet with him.

“He went there to get a document signed and … he came back empty,” Trump said. “We can make a deal with Russia to stop the killing,” he added.

During the investment summit, Trump expressed hope that his greatest legacy would be as a “peacemaker and a unifier” in both Ukraine and Gaza.

Saudi Arabia holds a key role for Trump as he strengthens ties with the kingdom, seeking its support for his plan for the future of Gaza and displaced Palestinians. Trump has suggested that the United States take control of the Gaza Strip, reconstruct the region and have Palestinians relocate to Jordan and Egypt. Saudi Arabia has dismissed the proposal, while Egypt has said it will present a counterproposal.

Ahead of the investment summit in Miami, human rights groups criticized Saudi Arabia for using the PIF as a tool of soft power and foreign influence in the United States.

“The PIF’s investments, such as the LIV golf tour, are a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s attempts to build its profile and influence abroad,” the non-profit organization, Human Rights Watch, wrote in a recent report.

In 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Senate launched an investigation to examine Saudi influence through investments made by the PIF.

Merger talks between PIF-backed LIV Golf and the PGA Tour have been ongoing since the announcement of a framework agreement in June 2023.

PGA Tour officials recently met with Trump and asked the former president to get involved in talks with PIF to finalize the merger deal.

“We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, player directors Tiger Woods and Adam Scott said in a recent statement. “We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men’s professional golf.”

Trump did not address the merger discussion during his speech at the investment summit.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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