Donald Trump puts on ‘unbelievable show’ for Saudi crown prince

In feting the crown prince, Trump has again pivoted to foreign policy, one of his focus areas

- Brian Schwartz & Natalie Andrews

Trump welcomed MBS to the White House with a flyover of six jet fighters, amid other fanfare.

(AP)

President Trump was in a celebratory mood during a private candlelit dinner at the White House honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

At the Tuesday night gala, the president’s favorite tenor, Christopher Macchio, serenaded business executives. A band played Ave Maria and the Beatles’ Let it Be, according to an attendee and another person familiar with the matter. Guests dined on honeynut squash soup, pistachio-crusted lamb and a pear chocolate mousse—served on gold-rimmed plates.

“The entertainment last night was incredible,” Trump said on Wednesday, describing the dinner as an “unbelievable show.”

Facing perhaps the lowest point of his second term, the president is finding ways to keep his spirits up, surrounding himself with chief executives and foreign leaders who have lavished him with praise and unveiled plans for high-dollar investment deals. In feting the crown prince this week, Trump has once again pivoted to foreign policy, an issue that has animated much of his presidency—and triggered concerns from some Republicans that he isn’t doing enough to address voters’ concerns about the high cost of living.

Just hours before Trump welcomed dozens of guests to the White House for the dinner, the House voted nearly unanimously to mandate the disclosure of a trove of government files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a move that Trump had for months resisted. The Senate followed suit shortly thereafter.