Trump euphoric about deals, much appears to be old wine in new bottles

During his four-day tour of the wealthiest Middle Eastern countries, US President Donald Trump presented the secured billion-dollar investments as new evidence of his economic diplomacy. However, upon closer inspection, many of the announced deals appear inflated, unclear, or previously agreed upon, as Bloomberg reports.

Trump claimed a $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, calling it the 'largest defense agreement in history.' Yet, details about the content are missing, with officials mentioning missile defense systems.

In Doha, agreements with Qatar Airways for 130 Boeing 787 and 30 777X aircraft, with options for 50 more, were finalized. Trump hailed it as 'the biggest deal ever' for Boeing, initially estimated at $200 billion. The White House later adjusted this to $96 billion, while aviation advisors estimate the actual value at less than $30 billion.

Trump also speculated about new variants of American fighter jets, including an imaginary 'F-55'—a twin-engine version of the F-35, which is actually a single-engine aircraft.