Trump’s trip to the Middle East was good for Elon Musk

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 to infrastructure in AI with the Emirates, Qatar simultaneously gifted him an ultra-luxurious private jet worth $400 million, sparking controversy.

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

Before 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 case, 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 relationship has strengthened. In April 2025, just before the Middle East tour, xAI bought X in a $33 billion deal, backed financially 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 has been actively working 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 for the inclusion of 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 has reportedly been granted permission 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 the Optimus humanoid robots.

By discreetly joining Donald Trump’s tour of the Middle East, 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.