For Trump, Adulation and No Risk of Protests Made the Gulf a Dream Trip

In Saudi Arabia, he received a standing ovation from business elites as he announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria.

In Qatar, he took home an investment pledge of billions of dollars in American goods and services.

In the United Arab Emirates, he was awarded the country’s highest civilian honor.

If President Trump has been dogged at home by backlash over his tariff policies, protests over his immigration crackdown and questions over his ethics, a week in the Arabian Peninsula produced nothing but wins for the president.

“The last four days have been really amazing,” Mr. Trump said on Thursday, as he was leaving a palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he had just been feted. He added, looking rueful, “Probably going back to Washington, D.C., tomorrow.”

On Friday, the president reflected on his trip on Air Force One: “The respect shown to our country was incredible. Nobody’s treated like that. Nobody’s treated well like that.”

At every step of Mr. Trump’s whirlwind tour of the Middle East, he was treated with the kind of honor and respect he has long desired. Escorts of fighter jets. Extravagant welcoming ceremonies. Red and lavender carpets. Arabian horses. Glitzy chandeliers. Camels. Sword dancers. White marble palaces. In the United Arab Emirate of Dubai, the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, lit up with an image of the American flag. All in his honor.