Saudi Gazette report

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on an official trip starting on May 13, the White House has confirmed.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt has announced dates for Trump’s trip to the Middle East. “He will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on May 13 until May 16,” she said in a White House press briefing. Leavitt said the trip is intended to help “strengthen ties” with the Middle Eastern countries.

The three-nation tour will be Trump’s second foreign trip since returning to office in January. Initially, Saudi Arabia was set to be Trump’s first international destination upon returning to the White House after his election victory. However, the president announced on Monday that he would be traveling to Italy later this week to attend Pope Francis’s funeral, and that led to a change in the planned timeline. Leavitt said that Trump will travel to Rome for over the weekend, departing on Friday and returning on Saturday.