President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spent hours alone together in Riyadh on Tuesday before stepping into the spotlight at the Saudi Investment Forum.

That was where Trump stood onstage and told the crown prince in front of the whole world that: “I think I like you too much.” The event took place inside the Ritz Carlton’s main hall, where hundreds of people had already waited three hours behind closed doors.

That delay came while Trump and Mohammed held back-to-back private meetings, keeping an entire ballroom of executives, diplomats, and security locked in place.

The forum brought out some of the most powerful names in the world. Elon Musk was there, along with Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. But despite the names and titles, nobody got special treatment. There weren’t enough chairs.

People were sitting on the floor. The stage had CEOs cross-legged, literally. Tarik Solomon, head of the American-Saudi business chamber in Riyadh, told CNBC, “We were locked in the plenary for three hours before they showed up. Nothing says diplomacy like strategic patience.”

CEOs sat on the floor while Trump played campaign tracks

While waiting, guests watched as billionaires chatted on the floor with their shoes off, trying to pass time. One attendee, who couldn’t speak on record, allegedly told CNBC:

“They put the CEOs on the stage as well for the whole three hours, and they didn’t have anywhere to sit. So they’re like, sitting on the ground, literally, with their legs crossed, talking to each other, which was a funny scene.”

Another attendee called the event “really unorganized” but said once Trump appeared, everything changed. Trump walked in alone while “Proud to be an American” blasted from the surround sound. He spent nearly 50 minutes speaking, jumping between his usual domestic talking points and bits about relations with Saudi Arabia.

“It was amazing being in that room,” one person reportedly said. “No matter what you say about Trump, he is a star. He knows how to work a room.” Another person added, “I feel like I just attended my first Trump rally.”

Throughout the speech, Trump kept praising the kingdom and once turned directly to Mohammed during his speech, who was seated front and center. “Mohammed, do you sleep at night? How do you sleep?” Trump asked him with a giggle. “I mean… you know, critics doubted that it was possible, what you’ve done, but over the past eight years, Saudi Arabia has proved the critics totally wrong.”

Trump praised MBS and confirmed massive Saudi deals

Trump continued: “He’s your greatest representative, greatest representative. And if I didn’t like him, I’d get out of here so fast. You guys know that, don’t you? But Mohammed knows me well. And I do — I like him a lot. I like him too much.” Mohammed smiled throughout, placing his hand over his heart multiple times.

Trump added:

“That’s why we give so much, you know? Too much. I like you too much Mohammed. And I believe you like me a lot too, don’t you? Yeah, he’s laughing. He does. He likes me.”

Regional observers compared it to the tense relationship the kingdom had with the previous Biden and even Obama administrations.

One guest at the summit told CNBC, “Trump and MBS? It’s a bromance for the ages.” The energy in the room backed that. And there were more than just warm words. The forum featured an announcement that Saudi Arabia is investing $600 billion into the United States.

That includes a $142 billion weapons deal, breaking records and raising eyebrows. All in all, it seems Trump is in yet another honeymoon phase in yet another relationship with yet another uber-rich man. But unlike with Elon and even Russia’s Vlad Putin or China’s Xi Jinping, this one might actually last.

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