Trump gets ‘lavender’ carpet welcome to Saudi Arabia after F-15 escort

US President Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for his first official overseas trip of his second term and was welcomed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi Crown Prince accorded a warm welcome to President Trump by rolling out the lavender carpet for him as Air Force One touched down. In another gesture, Air Force One was escorted by five Saudi F-15 fighter jets before the touchdown.

President Trump arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 🇺🇸🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/4XeT1XXgT2

The red carpet, used earlier, represented suggested glamour, royalty, and power, but in 2021, Saudi Arabia announced dropping red for dignitary visits and choosing purple carpets instead at official state receptions and occasions.
Red and purple colours have long been associated with royalty because the dyes for these vibrant colours were the most expensive and therefore they were used to express admiration for visiting dignitaries.

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“The lavender carpets are identical to the colour of the Kingdom’s deserts and plateaus in the spring when they are decorated with the colour of lavender flowers and other plants such as desert germander and basil, which together form a natural violet,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.

من وحي تراثنا الطبيعي، تطبع زهرة الخزامى لونها الأخّاذ على سجاد مراسم الاستقبال.#وزارة_الثقافة pic.twitter.com/BKjziQfcyT

The lavender ceremonial carpets also include a prominent Saudi cultural element, the traditional art of Sadu weaving on the edges of the new carpets.
In December 2020, UNESCO inscribed the traditional weaving of Sadu on the Intangible Heritage list.

After the welcome, the Crown Prince and President Trump exchanged warm greetings during a brief reception at the airport’s royal lounge, where they shared traditional Saudi coffee.

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President Trump, who is also set to visit the UAE and Qatar during his regional tour, called the trip “historic” in a press conference at the White House prior to his departure.

Trump is accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

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Trump will spend Tuesday and Wednesday morning in Saudi Arabia before jetting off to Doha, Qatar, and then Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Trump will aim to announce economic deals during the visit, but the long-term goal is to have Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords, one of the biggest foreign policy achievements of his previous administration.
The Abraham Accords normalised relations between Israel and the UAE, and Israel and Bahrain.