United Arab Emirates Pledges $1.4 Trillion U.S. Investment After Trump Meeting
Key Facts
An anonymous White House official told Reuters the investment deal will “substantially increase” the UAE’s existing investments in the U.S., while Bloomberg, citing a White House statement, reported the investments included funding for AI infrastructure, semiconductors and U.S.-based manufacturers.
The deal was reached after Trump announced in January that Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani—a prominent figure during Trump’s first presidential term—would invest $20 billion to build data centers across the U.S., though Sajwani said he hoped to invest “even more” if the opportunity “[allows] us.”
An agreement was reached after a meeting on Tuesday between Trump and Sheikh Tanoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan—UAE’s national security adviser—and a dinner between Vice President JD Vance, other Trump administration officials and the UAE delegation, which included heads of UAE-based sovereign wealth funds and corporations, Reuters reported.
Some of the companies—including the UAE investment fund ADQ—will also invest in U.S. assets like gas, chemicals and energy infrastructure, a White House official told Reuters.
Who Is Sheikh Tanoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan?
Sheikh Tanoon is the deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi and chairman of MGX, an investment firm Trump said in January was included in a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment. He also serves as chairman of the UAE AI firm G42 and, the private investment firm Royal Group and First Abu Dhabi Bank, according to Bloomberg. Sheikh Tanoon said earlier this week he met with Trump to discuss “opportunities to strengthen the long-term strategic partnership” between the UAE and U.S., which included the UAE’s commitment to “[strengthen] economic ties” with the U.S. by investing in AI, technology, infrastructure and healthcare. Sheikh Tanoon said he also met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss “areas of economic and financial cooperation,” as well as National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
What Are Trump’s Ties To The Uae?
Trump’s relationship with Emirati officials appeared to start during his first administration, during which Sajwani appeared at a 2016 New Year’s Eve party in Mar-a-Lago. Sajwani’s firm Damac built the Trump-branded golf course in Dubai, which opened in February 2017 while sparking backlash over Trump’s international business deals as president. At the golf club’s opening, Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump praised Sajwani as a “great friend,” while Donald Trump Jr. applauded Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum for allowing the course to be built, saying it was a “great example of what can be built here,” according to The New York Times.
What Are Jared Kushner’s Ties To The Uae?
Wealth funds from the Emirates invested more than $200 million in Kushner’s private equity firm Affinity Partners, which Kushner launched after Trump left the Oval Office in 2021, two people with knowledge of the transactions told the Times. The investments were reportedly built from relationships Kushner built while working as an adviser to Trump during his first term. Kushner defended the investments in a podcast in December 2024 while saying the company “tried to avoid any conflicts” after he was “very clear” to Emirati investors in 2021 that they should “not expect anything from me” if Trump was reelected.
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