‘You’ll Be Greatly Honoring Me’: Trump Says It’s His ‘Wish’ For Saudi Arabia to Recognize Israel

President Donald Trump urged Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords while giving a speech in the country on Tuesday as part of his first overseas trip in his second term.

“And with the historic Abraham Accords that we’re so proud of, all the momentum was aimed at peace, and it aimed very successfully. It’s been an amazing thing, the Abraham Accords,” Trump said of the agreement that normalized relations between Israel and some Gulf states – primarily the United Arab Emirates.

“And it’s my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia, a place I have such respect for, especially over the last fairly short period of time, what you’ve been able to do, that you’ll soon be joining the Abraham accords. I think it’ll be a tremendous tribute to you,” Trump continued in a speech that was rife with flattery for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“And it will be something that’s really going to be very important for the future of the Middle East. I took a risk in doing them, and they’ve been an absolute bonanza for the countries that have joined. The Biden administration did nothing for four years,” Trump continued, adding:

We would have had it filled out. But it will be a special day in the Middle East with the whole world watching when Saudi Arabia joins us. You’ll be greatly honoring me, and you’ll be greatly honoring all of those people that have fought so hard for the Middle East. And I really think it’s going to be something special. But you’ll do it in your own time. And that’s what I want, and that’s what you want, and that’s the way it’s going to be.

Trump has long hyped a potential deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel as one of his major policy goals. The Biden administration had conditioned Saudi recognition of Israel as part of U.S. talks on helping build a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom. Trump pulled that condition last week, promising to help the Saudis build nuclear power plants even if they do not recognize Israel.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.