Trump says he could visit Saudi Arabia next month

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Monday that he could visit Saudi Arabia as soon as next month, marking what would be his first overseas trip since returning to power.

"It could be next month, maybe a little bit later. And we're going to Qatar, also, and also we're going to possibly a couple of other countries. UAE is very important ... so we'll probably stop at UAE and Qatar," Trump said in a briefing at the White House.

Trump also noted that Saudi officials had agreed to invest "close to a trillion dollars ... in our American companies, which to me means jobs." The president explained that U.S. companies would be supplying equipment for Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. "And for that, I think it's worth it," he added.

In January, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had promised to funnel $600 billion into U.S. trade and investments, though Saudi press reports at the time did not provide details about the source of these funds, which represent more than half of Saudi Arabia's GDP, or how they would be used.

Trump's first foreign visit as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia, where he established a close relationship with Riyadh. It is widely expected that he will continue efforts to push Saudi Arabia towards normalizing ties with Israel as part of his foreign policy agenda.

On Monday, Trump reiterated his strong ties to the region, saying, "I have a very good relationship with the Middle East."