From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Trump tells Davos: ‘Hostages are returning and they’ll be coming in more and more’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump touts the ceasefire and hostage release deal he helped finalize before entering office this month during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Before even taking office, my team negotiated a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East, which wouldn’t have happened without us,” Trump says in video link remarks.
“Earlier this week, the hostages began to return to their families. They are returning, and it’s a beautiful sight, and they’ll be coming in more and more,” he adds.
After Saudi Arabia announced in its readout of the call between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump that Riyadh will be investing at least $600 billion in the American economy over the next four years, Trump says he’ll be asking for the Gulf kingdom to up that number to $1 trillion.
Trump then goes on to criticize Saudi Arabia for its oil policies, saying it’s responsible for the Russia-Ukraine war dragging on due to its decision not to lower oil prices through OPEC.
As Trump speaks, the White House issues its readout on his call with MBS, saying the “two leaders discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, bolster regional security and combat terrorism.”
“Additionally, they discussed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s international economic ambitions over the next four years as well as trade and other opportunities to increase the mutual prosperity of the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the US readout says.
