President Donald Trump on Wednesday highlighted his administration's newly formalized security partnership with Saudi Arabia, calling the kingdom's designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally a "very big deal" that reflects deepening military and strategic ties between Washington and Riyadh.
Speaking at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, with his speech airing live on Newsmax, Trump said the designation "happens seldom, very seldom, if at all," and framed it as a sign of trust between the two governments.
He said the move coincides with a "historic strategic defense agreement" signed this week, marking one of the strongest military alignments the two countries have entered in decades.
Trump told attendees the United States would sell Saudi Arabia "some of the greatest military equipment ever built," including nearly 300 American-made tanks and advanced aircraft.
Although he said the sales were already approved, he noted the government must still navigate required procedural steps.
He assured Saudi leaders the process would move quickly, joking to Elon Musk that approvals should take "about 24 hours."
The president said the strengthened alliance with Riyadh is "among the most consequential in the entire world," arguing the relationship had faltered under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden but had become "stronger and more powerful than it's ever been before" during his tenure.
He also recounted U.S. military action against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, describing the strike as "total obliteration" and claiming the operation removed a major regional threat.
Trump further highlighted new agreements with Saudi Arabia on civil nuclear energy, minerals, and artificial intelligence, crediting U.S. business leaders for shaping those deals.
He noted Saudi Arabia's plans to invest $1 trillion in the United States and emphasized the continued growth of bilateral economic ties.
The president also pointed to what he described as a rapid expansion of U.S. energy production and high-tech development, saying his administration has slashed permitting times for major industrial projects.
He told the forum that companies building large-scale AI facilities are now being allowed to "build their own electric generating force," arguing that fast-track approvals are helping the country outpace global competitors.
The president returned to his "drill, baby, drill" call for expanded oil and gas development and said new projects are being approved within "two or three weeks" instead of years.
He attributed surging construction to policies that, he said, encourage domestic infrastructure over reliance on foreign grids or outdated systems.
Trump credited his tariff policy with pushing automakers and chip manufacturers to bring facilities back to the United States.
He cited Toyota's newly announced multibillion-dollar investments and said companies from Canada, Mexico, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan are reversing years of offshoring.
He also praised Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, saying the U.S. must stay "far ahead of China" in artificial intelligence and semiconductor production.
Meanwhile, Trump told the forum that many of the large, advanced U.S. factories now under construction, particularly semiconductor and electronics plants, require technical expertise not yet widespread in the American workforce.
He said companies investing billions in new facilities would initially need to bring in experienced workers from abroad, adding that these specialists would train Americans to take over those jobs.
He acknowledged the approach may draw criticism from some conservatives but argued it is essential if the United States intends to regain dominance in high-tech manufacturing. Trump said U.S. workers would "be doing great" once trained and that foreign specialists would eventually "go home" after helping launch operations.
The president said the administration intends to give businesses the support needed to staff and operate the new plants and said domestic workers would ultimately be "just as good as" the specialists brought in to get factories running.
Trump also told the forum Wednesday he has ended what he called "ridiculous Biden-era restrictions on artificial intelligence," arguing that the prior rules slowed U.S. innovation and made it harder for companies to compete globally.
He said the administration is now working with industry leaders to build what he described as the largest and most advanced AI ecosystem in the world.
Trump also said he wants a single federal approval process for AI facilities rather than requiring companies to navigate separate rules in all 50 states.
He warned that giving each state independent authority would force businesses to cater to the "worst and most onerous" regulations in the country.
"We don't have woke anymore in this country," he said, insisting the streamlined system is necessary to ensure U.S. leadership in the sector.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.