Donald Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump has landed in Saudi Arabia for his first stop abroad since taking office, a visit meant to bolster partnerships abroad that aides hope can reset a scandal-pocked narrative back home, reports CNN.

Trump`s stop in an enthusiastic Saudi capital is the first in an eight-day, five-country swing across the Middle East and Europe. The complex itinerary will bring Trump to the capitals of three great world religions and introduce him to the sometimes-grueling pace of presidential foreign travel.

Air Force One touched down at the King Khalid airport in Riyadh at 2:45 a.m. ET (9:45 a.m. local time), where Trump was greeted on the tarmac by King Salman and other high-level Saudi officials. The royal red carpet welcome - which featured a military brass band and a fighter jet flyover - was a demonstration of just how highly anticipated Trump`s arrival was to this Middle Eastern kingdom.

Trump and the 81-year-old Salman were seen in friendly conversation inside the Royal Terminal at the airport just after Trump`s arrival.

The two leaders shared a long drive from the airport to central Riyadh, where the President is staying, and Trump was due to spent much of Saturday in meetings with Salman and his government, including the powerful deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.