The majestic hall at Qasr Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi buzzed with protocol staff neatly adjusting white chairs around a U-shaped table. For nearly an hour, the room was filled with the sound of footsteps, shifting seats, rustling papers and the click of cameras. Then, silence. US President Donald Trump entered the room slowly, accompanied by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2025/05/16/trump-says-uaes-aluminium-sector-is-talk-of-the-industry/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2025/05/16/trump-says-uaes-aluminium-sector-is-talk-of-the-industry/">Abu Dhabi</a>. Everyone stood. A woman discreetly moved Mr Trump's chair, and he sat. “Thank you for the hospitality,” he said, referring to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. It was his final hour before leaving the Gulf and he was departing with a bag packed full of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2025/05/16/uae-chip-deal-us-ai/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2025/05/16/uae-chip-deal-us-ai/">mega-deals</a> and a long-term commitment to the strategic region. A day after he was bestowed with the Order of Zayed, a medal of pure gold and the UAE’s highest civilian honour, it was time for faith and oil. He was given a capsule of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2025/05/16/murban-adnoc-donald-trump/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2025/05/16/murban-adnoc-donald-trump/">locally produced oil</a> by the head of the UAE's Adnoc. “The highest quality oil there is on the planet and they only gave me a drop of it. So, I’m not thrilled,” Mr Trump joked. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc, explained to Mr Trump that the oil was Murban, one of the highest-quality crudes. In the Abrahamic Family House, a symbol of interfaith acceptance and understanding, he signed the visitors' book, saying it represents the tolerance the world desperately needs. "I see in this house the promise for our own future if humanity chooses co-operation over conflict, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2025/05/16/sheikh-abdullah-hails-uae-us-relations-for-enabling-flow-of-gaza-aid/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2025/05/16/sheikh-abdullah-hails-uae-us-relations-for-enabling-flow-of-gaza-aid/">friendship </a>over enmity, prosperity over poverty and hope over despair," he wrote. At Zayed International Airport later in the afternoon, the mood shifted again. Mr Trump waved goodbye with a clenched fist from the top of the stairs to Air Force One, ending his four-day Gulf tour with a blend of symbolism, business and pageantry. And with that goodbye, the historic Gulf tour was over: three countries, trillions pledged and one capsule of premium crude in his pocket.
