Donald Trump returned to the scene where he first launched his transformative Middle East strategy eight years ago.
The media and foreign policy elites never gave him credit for his accomplishments.
And Donald Trump stunned the globalists with this bold Middle East peace plan that has everyone talking.
Trump delivers major foreign policy address in Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump took to the podium at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, returning to the same location where he delivered a landmark speech during his first term.
The President laid out a refreshingly different vision for American involvement in the Middle East that stands in stark contrast to his predecessors’ failed policies of nation-building and endless wars.
“Exactly eight years ago this month, I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive out the forces of terrorism and extremism… and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations anywhere in the world as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East,” Trump told the audience of regional leaders and diplomats.
The President pointed to the visible progress across the region as evidence his approach is working, with nations prioritizing economic development over conflict.
“Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism,” Trump declared.
Trump demolishes failed foreign policy establishment
The President didn’t hold back in his critique of the Washington foreign policy establishment that has dominated Middle East policymaking for decades. He took direct aim at the interventionist approach that has cost trillions of dollars and countless lives with little positive result.
“This great transformation has not come from Western interventionists… giving you lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs,” Trump said.
He pointed to the spectacular growth of cities like Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as examples of regional success that came without Western micromanagement.
“The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called ‘nation-builders,’ ‘neo-cons,’ or ‘liberal non-profits,’ like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad,” Trump stated.
The President delivered a devastating assessment of the interventionist policies that have dominated American foreign policy for generations.
“In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built — and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,” Trump explained.
.@POTUS: The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders… who spent trillions of dollars failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad… the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves. pic.twitter.com/SluRou2mv6
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 13, 2025
Trump extends olive branch to Iran while standing firm
Perhaps most surprising was the President’s message to Iran, offering a potential path toward better relations despite decades of hostility.
“I am here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future,” Trump said.
This approach exemplifies Trump’s pragmatic foreign policy that prioritizes American interests while remaining open to diplomatic solutions.
“As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be very profound,” he added.
Peace through strength delivers results
Trump cited recent successful applications of his “peace through strength” doctrine, including the decisive response to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
“Following repeated attacks on American ships and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the United States military launched more than 1,100 strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. As a result, the Houthis agreed to stop… We hit them hard, we got what we came for — and then we got out,” Trump explained.
This approach stands in stark contrast to the endless military engagements that characterized previous administrations, where clear objectives and exit strategies were often lacking.
The President also addressed the situations in Lebanon and Syria, offering American support for stability and economic development without committing to costly military interventions.
Trump rejects moral crusading in favor of peace and prosperity
In perhaps his most direct rebuke of traditional American foreign policy, Trump rejected the notion that American presidents should act as moral arbiters of world leaders.
“In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,” Trump stated.
Instead, he outlined a more focused approach: “I believe it is God’s job to sit in judgement — my job [is] to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace.”
This pragmatic vision has already delivered tangible results across the region, with new partnerships forming and old conflicts cooling.
Trump closed his address with an optimistic vision for the future of the Middle East if nations continue to prioritize cooperation and economic development.
“If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all of humanity will soon be amazed at what they will see right here in this geographic center of the world,” Trump concluded.
The President’s Riyadh speech outlines a clear alternative to the failed interventionist policies of past administrations – one that prioritizes peace through strength, economic prosperity, and respect for national sovereignty.
