President Donald Trump met with the new Syrian leader, a onetime insurgent, in a stunning engagement on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, before wrapping up his visit to the kingdom and heading to Qatar, the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour this week.

U.S. President Donald Trump began a meeting with Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to a Washington Post pool report, after a surprise U.S. announcement it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.

Although Trump recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, Saudi Arabia was originally intended to be his initial overseas destination, just like in his first term. It served as a gilded debut for a foreign policy focused on securing cash infusions for American businesses.

The wealthy and the powerful gathered in Saudi Arabia with the goal of becoming even more so. “They’re going to walk away with a lot of checks,” President Trump said.

US President Donald Trump has said the US has "no stronger partner" than Saudi Arabia during his first major foreign trip.

In a geopolitical chess game with billions at stake, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Nvidia all have something to gain.

The United States does not hold a monopoly on technological breakthroughs. As it sought to contain China’s advances in artificial intelligence, President Joe Biden’s administration tried to use restrictions on cutting-edge chips from Nvidia as a cudgel,