The president is set to meet the leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE before traveling to Doha, Qatar, for the second leg of his trip.

U.S. President Donald Trump was set to meet Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a surprise announcement that the United States would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government despite lingering concerns about its leaders' former ties to Al Qaeda.

The White House has doubled down on the proposed deal which has been criticised by some of the president's top supporters.

“The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, late on Tuesday, May 13.