Arab world welcomes Trump back to the White House

Amer Ghazzal/Alamy

• Emir of Qatar first to congratulate
• Sisi ‘looks forward to working together’
• Erdoğan calls Trump ‘my friend’

The Arab world has hailed Donald Trump’s successful bid to return to the White House, with his long-standing personal, business and political ties to the region bringing hopes of closer bilateral relationships with the United States for the next four years.

The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was the first GCC leader to congratulate the president-elect on X, writing that he looks “forward to working together again to strengthen our strategic relationship and partnership”.

UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent his “sincere congratulations” to Donald Trump in a message on X.

“The UAE looks forward to continuing to work with our partners in the US towards a future of opportunity, prosperity, and stability for all,” he said.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also sent his congratulations.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud both congratulated Trump, Saudi state media reported.

Stock markets in the region were up in early trading Wednesday as news of his victory emerged.

Trump, president between 2017 and 2021, beat the Democrat candidate, Kamala Harris, the current US vice president, after winning all of the most closely watched states. Those include North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia. The latter two went for outgoing president Joe Biden in 2020.

Republicans also regained control of the Senate after four years. At the time of writing, votes were still being counted in the House of Representatives, the US’s lower house.

Whether Republicans can hold on to their majority there will determine how much leeway the new Trump administration will have for the next two years, until the next Congressional election, to implement its policies.

Much uncertainty remains as to what the Trump 2.0 agenda will look like and its impact on the Gulf and Mena region.

“When the New York businessman unexpectedly won the presidency in 2016, he was regarded as a wild card for the region,” wrote Dania Thafer, executive director of Gulf International Forum in Washington DC, before the vote. “Eight years on, the GCC states know to expect a short-term, deal-driven approach to foreign relations rooted in a mercantilist economic outlook.”

The controversial former president has promised across-the-board tariffs that could upend the global economic status quo. Regardless, GCC countries are likely to remain at the centre of the US-China tug-of-war on everything from semiconductors to renewable energy.

Rebecca Olson, CEO of the Oman American Business Council, said the Trump victory was “a pivotal moment” for relations between the two countries.

“With ongoing discussions around tariffs, we hope the new administration will see the value in preserving and enhancing these ties, making trade smoother and more accessible for Omani and American businesses alike.”

Trump’s likely support for the domestic energy industry in the US, already the world’s largest producer and exporter of crude, might have a negative impact on oil revenues in the Gulf at a time of softening oil prices. 

Prices slid on Wednesday after the US dollar rose amid reports of Trump’s victory.

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Just how much the former president will favour or disfavour renewables, a key interest of his most high-profile supporter, Elon Musk, is yet to be seen.

The chief executive of the Emirati state-owned renewable energy company Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, said while speaking at the Adipec 2024 renewable energy conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday: “I honestly don’t expect any change in US policy towards renewables.” 

Masdar owns four utility-scale wind projects in Texas and New Mexico, and five solar projects in California.

Trump has separately flirted with drastic tax cuts, while Musk has mused about wide-ranging deregulation and taking the axe to public spending in a manner that could wreak short-term havoc on the American economy. 

Abraham Accords

In the Gulf, the lack of clarity as to the ultimate actions of President-elect Trump appears tempered by the warmth with which his personal and business engagement in the region, especially through the Trump Organisation and its signature buildings and golf courses, is perceived.

Trump is also recognised for the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, which saw the normalisation of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. He is also viewed as more friendly to cryptocurrencies, a space dear to many in Dubai in particular.

Bitcoin hit $75,000 for the first time as the former president came closer to clinching his White House comeback. 

In an interview with Al Arabiya in October, Trump said the US-Saudi Arabia relationship “was great with capital letters. G-R-E-A-T, great” when he was in the White House and that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is “a great guy”. 

“[I have] so much respect for the King and so much respect for Mohammed who is doing so great,” Trump said. “He’s a real visionary, he’s done things that nobody else would have even thought about.”

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Trump “my friend” in a congratulatory message on X and said he hopes the ex-president’s re-election will bring about strengthened ties between the two nations.

Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, also welcomed the result.

“We look forward to working together in bringing and maintaining regional peace and stability and bolstering the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States,” President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on social media.