Trump, Modi, and MBS: three allies rambling on with mutual ass-kissing

Donald Trump boasted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is “kissing my ass” over America’s apparent economic rebound, a boast that seemingly doubled as both a threat and a plea for affection. Meanwhile, Narendra Modi thanked the same Crown Prince for supporting Indian workers in Saudi Arabia, a remarkable claim given the ILO complaints over migrant labour conditions.

Trump claimed MBS was impressed by America’s “hot” economy under his leadership at a speech on Friday at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute in Miami.

“One year ago, you were a dead country,” Trump quoted the Crown Prince as saying. “Now you’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

Trump boasted:

He [MBS] didn’t think this was going to happen. He didn’t think he’d be kissing my ass.

He followed up by saying:

Now he has to be nice to me. You tell him he’d better be nice to me.

Trump chats shit

Trump also contrasted Saudi Arabia with NATO when talking about his illegal war on Iran. He said:

I want to thank the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… Unlike NATO, Saudi Arabia fought, Qatar fought, UAE fought.

During this rant against NATO, he said MBS was a warrior.

Trump’s remarks highlighted his view that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries proved more reliable than traditional Western allies during his illegal war, a theme he returned to multiple times throughout the speech.

It’s true that NATO countries didn’t provide their full support for the US and Israel’s unprovoked war on Iran. The illegality of the action meant NATO countries had no obligation to support the US, and yet many supported Trump anyway by allowing him to use their bases (the UK included).

Trump also boasted about Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally and pleaded with them to join the Abraham Accords.

When I hosted the crown prince at the White House last fall, we officially designated the kingdom as a major non-NATO ally. First time. And for the very first time, we agreed to sell Saudi Arabia perhaps the most capable fighter jet ever built, the F-35.

Modi and MBS

Trump’s other ally, Modi, was also singing MBS’s praises—if being called an arsekisser can be considered praise. On Saturday, Modi tweeted:

Spoke with Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

I reiterated India’s condemnation of attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

We agreed on the need to ensure freedom of navigation and keeping…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 28, 2026

Modi concluded by offering thanks for Saudi Arabia’s purported commitment to the welfare of Indian nationals in the Kingdom.