President Trump arrived at the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early Saturday on his first trip abroad since taking office and was greeted by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who welcomed him with a traditional Saudi coffee.
The coffee break kicked off a eight-day tour of the Middle East and Europe for Mr. Trump, with a history journey to the homeland and holy sites of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths.
At a brief reception ceremony at the airport, Mr. Trump and King Salman sat together and were served coffee. The king demonstrated the traditional Saudi signal that you are finished your coffee: delicately shaking the cup.
It is Saudi tradition that servers continue to top off a coffee cup until the drinker declines by shaking their cup or by placing a hand over cup, according to Arab News.
Mr. Trump appeared to enjoy the strong Saudi brew and requested more. Saudi coffee, which is usually stronger than American coffee, is traditionally served without cream or sugar.
Later, at a royal banquet luncheon hosted by King Salman, Mr. Trump was presented with the King’s Medal, the country’s highest honor.
In Riyadh, the president will be finalizing deals with the Saudis, including an arms deal. He will be meeting Sunday with a group of 50 leaders from Muslim countries to press for more cooperation in combating radical Islam and the threat of Iran.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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