JUST IN: President Trump welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House for high-level talks.
The two leaders greet each other before heading inside for meetings expected to focus on security, regional stability, and U.S.-Iraq relations.
NEW: "It was never fair to me that we would be guarding the strait when we basically don't take anything."
President Trump says Gulf leaders backed his decision to drop a proposed fee tied to the Strait of Hormuz in favor of securing major investment in the U.S.
"They said, 'We'd love to do it a different way. We'd love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars.'"
Trump says the Gulf states will invest "a tremendous amount of money" in the U.S., adding, "I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait... I think it's actually much better."
NEW: President Trump weighs in on Sen. Lindsey Graham's death, saying the senator's fatal medical emergency was likely tied to a rare, hereditary condition rather than foul play:
"This is something that is very, almost undetectable and if it happens, there's not much you can do about it. It sounds unfortunate, but there's not much you can do about it... His father died of the same thing at about the same age."
"I don't see a lot of evil there. I don't- I know there's all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, and I don't think the FBI, I think the FBI is wasting their time if they're doing that."
JUST IN: President Trump teases his "very big announcement" that's set to be made to the nation on Thursday night.
"It's really big news. It's really, really big news. And our country has to shape up. But that's what we're going to be talking about Thursday... it doesn't get bigger, because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country."
Under @POTUS’s bold leadership, today’s meeting with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi marks a turning point. The future of the U.S.-Iraq relationship lies in investment, trade, and economic opportunity—not just security. At the heart of the Middle East, Iraq is uniquely positioned to connect the region through deeper integration with the GCC, Türkiye, Syria, Jordan, Central Asia, the Balkans, and the Caucuses. New pipelines for energy, new roads to progress. A more prosperous Iraq means a more stable region—and exclusive opportunities for American business.
President Trump welcomed Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House on Tuesday.
“We love Iraq,” Trump said when asked what his message was to the Iraqi people. “This man just won a big election. They are very well-represented, I can tell you that.”