Saudis greets Trump with pomp, opulence and real estate to his taste

President Trump was more than 7,400 miles from Palm Beach, Florida, but he looked at home.

With its huge crystal candlesticks, polished marble, plush carpets and prominent portraits by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Royal Court felt the feeling of a Mar-A-Lago-east.

On Tuesday, the first day of the four-day Middle East of the President, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, gave royal treatment.

Mr. Trump was accompanied by three F-15 fighter aircraft through the Saudi airspace, which flanked one on each side of the air force. The president's limousine was accompanied by the drivers on Arab horses to the Royal Court in Riad, the Saudi capital. Musical horns blew up. A guards were at the attention when Prince Mohammed Mr. Trump led to the Court along a long, lavender carpet.

The president could not stop smiling, and understandably. The Saudi Royals are his friends and allies. You are the business partners of his family. More than most, they understand their taste and wishes.

“I really think we like ourselves a lot,” said Mr. Trump when he was sitting next to the crown prince in the King's executive office.

When he strolled through the Royal Court with Prince Mohammed, the president seemed to be impressed by his surroundings. Everywhere, gold leaf was: the molded parts and the tables and the legs of the blue velvet Seds were all gilded.