The White House announced a huge arms deal with Saudi Arabia today as President Donald Trump took his first steps on the world stage, looking to leave mounting troubles behind at home.
The USD 110 billion deal for Saudi purchases of US defence equipment and services came at the start of an eight- day foreign tour that will also take Trump to Jerusalem, the Vatican and meetings with leaders in Europe.
The US President was given a warm welcome in the oil-rich kingdom — a mood in sharp contrast to Washington where pressure is building after fresh claims over his team's alleged links to Moscow.
Air Force One had barely taken off when it was announced late yesterday that James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by Trump, had agreed to testify publicly about Russian interference in the US elections.
Reports also emerged that Trump had called Comey "a nut job" and that the FBI had identified a senior White House official as a "significant person of interest" in its probe of Russian meddling.
The president and first lady Melania Trump were welcomed by Saudi King Salman as they disembarked at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this morning.