Musk used Trump’s trip to promote his companies

As Donald Trump embarked on a Middle East tour marked by colossal deals, including a $142 billion arms contract with Saudi Arabia and a $1.4 trillion, ten-year commitment with the Emirates for infrastructure in AI, Qatar simultaneously gifted him an ultra-luxurious private jet worth $400 million, sparking controversy.

Elon Musk tried to derail a major artificial intelligence infrastructure deal in the Middle East after learning that his startup, xAI, would be excluded from the initiative, CNBC has confirmed.

— CNBC (@cnbc.com) 2025-05-29T21:00:15Z

More discreet, Elon Musk accompanied the President in the shadows, taking advantage of the occasion to forge his own alliances and try to secure strategic agreements for his companies such as Starlink, Tesla, xAI and X.

Prior to Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in 2025, relations between Elon Musk and the Middle East were rather strained. Even though Saudi funds had invested in Tesla and X, friction persisted, notably due to the Khashoggi affair, disagreements over freedom of expression and Musk’s criticism of certain regimes in the region.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, Musk’s relations with the Gulf have strengthened. In April 2025, just before the Middle East tour, xAI bought X in a $33 billion deal, financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding and the Qatar Investment Authority.

Although his presence alongside Donald Trump on the Middle East tour was never officially announced, Elon Musk actively worked behind the scenes to advance his own business interests and attempt to short-circuit those of his competitors.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk tried to intervene in a $500 billion deal between OpenAI and Emirati company G42 to build AI data centers in Abu Dhabi. He reportedly lobbied to include xAI, without success, a major setback for the billionaire.

In a more positive turn of events for Elon Musk during his trip alongside Trump, his Starlink satellite Internet service reportedly won approval to operate in Saudi Arabia, strengthening its strategic position within the Gulf technology market.

Musk used the trip to attend the Saudi-American Investment Forum in Riyadh, where he announced his ambition to deploy Tesla’s robotaxis in Saudi Arabia and unveiled Optimus humanoid robots.

By discreetly joining Donald Trump’s Middle East tour, Elon Musk was able to exploit a favorable diplomatic context to advance his interests. Despite a few setbacks, he achieved tangible results, such as the green light for Starlink in Saudi Arabia and increased exposure for Tesla.