united states, both militarily, securitywise, intelligencewise, but also economically. that's something that the president of the united states can understand, the language of economic trade, economic benefit is something that is going to be considered as a win because when we're talking about president trump certainly with foreign policy issues, things can be put in categories of wins and losses. so if you can come back from the saudi trip with hundreds of billions of dollars of arms sales, potentially billions of dollars of investments from saudi oil companies and energy companies, additional billions of dollars from other gulf abe rab countries, i understand the government is expected to make similar announcements in the coming weeks about potential investments in the united states. all of those can be translated back here domestically as a win that president trump went over there and was able to secure those billions of dollars of contracts. but the flip side to that is the saudis and the arab countries are going to expect trump to meet them on important issues. among them, you'll see the issue of iran come up repeatedly,

you'll see the israeli/palestinian conflict. israelis want it to be its permanent capital. the palestinians want it to be the capital of a palestinian state. but president trump has cooled down on the notion of moving the embassy there in large part because of a lot of the diplomatic pressure being put on president trump to not move very fast on that particular issue. and that is the back door diplomatic bartering that is taking place. so we're looking at the pomp and circumstance of these ceremonies and the arrivals. but there's been a lot of groundwork leading up to this moment over the past several weeks. the saudi deputy crown prince was here. jared kushner has been meeting with the saudi foreign minister. all of that has led to this moment. it will be interesting to see what is officially announced over the course of the next 24 hours. >> well, we are watching the official welcoming ceremony of

president trump in saudi arabia. it is just past 7:00 here on the east coast. at a little past 4:00 on the west coast. this is special coverage of president trump's first visit overseas with making his first stop in skraub. he was met on the tar mark initially by king salman about four hours ago. air force one landed and now this is the official welcoming ceremony at the saudi palace where president trump and his wife, first lady melania are there along with jared kushner, we saw, and ivanka trump, as well. and i'm joined by ayman and colonel jack jacobs, steve clemens and alisha habi. thank you so much for being here. colonel jack, i want to touch on this real quick because the president is in saudi arabia now but he's going to head to israel, italy and belgium over the next several days. is there an increased concern when it comes to security and the president's safety? that's something we haven't touched on yet. >> well, there is always an

enormous focus on security wherever the president happens to be. the size of the presidential protection detail is much bigger than it used to be now. and when you're overseas, the requirements are even that much greater. there's an advanced team that goes several weeks out to coordinate with local law enforcement and with the national security apparatus in each of the countries that he visits. and it doesn't matter whether it's a friendly country or not. it's irrelevant. so you're talking about hundreds and hundreds of security people who go out .do the coordination well in advance. and attempt to make sure that everything is taken care of. you know, it's interesting where he's going. you did talk about reset. this is a reset, also, for friendly countries. he's going to brussels and to

italy. we have a facially substantial contingent of american forces who operate from italy. a lot of air force assets operate from italy in order to support our operations in the middle east. but what really has to happen is there needs on to be a reset with nato, as well. there's been an attempt to do that since he took office, but remember during the campaign, trump talked at some great length about how irrelevant nato was and now, in an environment in which you've had brexit on the one hand, a threat from the right in france which failed on the other, but populist notions about how irrelevant international relationships are in mutual defense, it really is important that the president go to places like brussels and italy, maybe later on to great britain and other nato allies to reinforce the notion that talk

about the irrelevance of nato was just that, its was talk to get elected and to lay out the notion that mutual defense in a very difficult environment is absolutely essential if we're going to increase our defense capabilities. it's really important reset takes place here, too, dara. >> ali with, we know this sa very different trip for president trump than for president obama. could you speak about that and tell us what the main differences that you are seeing and what the difference is going to be for saudi arabia and u.s. relations. >> i think the fundamental difference was that president obama had the more motherate view of iran's behavior in the region. and he was so obsessed with completing the nuclear agreement that he ignored iran's nefarious behavior in syria and iraq and in yemen. what has been very satisfied for the saudi government is that,

you know, president obama, didn't see he came into office, surrounded himself with very experienced generals who have fought in the middle east and who have been on the ground and who understand how iran operates. general mattis, general mcmaster, and others who have had to deal with that revolutionary guard on the ground in iraq, who saw that the revolutionary gaus revolutionary guard was responsible for killing a lot of u.s. soldiers there. they they didn't have a naive view of iran's behavior. and i think that has been the fundamental change in policy, that this administration has been very clear about didn't see it came into office it put iran on notice when iran launched a ba lichtic missi ballistic missile test, for example. and, again, america took a very

strong stand. so i think the whole understanding on behalf of this administration that iran is the key disrupter in the middle has been very well received by saudi arabia and her allies in the gulf and that, as a result, we think is going to make the region more stable because when you reintroduce american deterrents, and the perception of american deterrents into the region, the iranians get back into their box, really. to hold their syrian president accountable, you know, a month ago was, again, very important for its symbolism. unlike president obama, who allowed the red -- who allowed president assad to break the red line without consequences, there was a very clear message coming from the american president that there will be consequences for bad behavior. so i think all of that has brought america's deterrence

back and that is very comforting to america's traditional allies that, to a certain extent, you know, obama was luke warm towards. he was so interested in somehow reaching out to iran. and we feel the iranians played him, frankly. >> ayman, you've been following this very closely. what can you add about this ceremony? >> not just the ceremony, but the point that ali made, as well, which is important about the reset in terms of the strategic interests between saudi arabia and the united states. there is something, also, that you're not going to hear donald trump do which is he's not going to lecture the saudis or talk to the saudis about their domestic issues, about human rights or the need for democratic reform. the indication that's been coming out of the white house is the united states wants to shift away from that. there was criticism that president obama at times came across as lecturing the conditions on its need to push for democratic reforms. obviously we all know and we're familiar with some of the accusations and allegations

inside that kingdom in terms of the rights of women and in terms of the rights of minorities and what's happening in yemen in terms of human rights abuses that have been documented. you're not going to hear president obama talk about those in the bilateral relationship. that is something that has caused some concern for close allies of the united states who have been saying that the united states, because it has such a strategic relationship with countries like saudi arabia, it can help saudi arabia move in that reform. now, the saudi leadership, obviously, is embarked on particularly with the crown prince has embarked on an economic reform in that country that's trying to liberalize its economy, for employment for youth and those measures are not seen by critics of the kingdom. and that's something you're not going to hear president obama raise in his meetings consistently because, in fact, there has been a shift in the way president trump has conducted some of his foreign policy leaders like strong men and leaders in the foreign east

and the philippines president, as well. so there is this criticism that president trump, perhaps, is trying to find more strategic interests that work with these countries than to find a set of american values when it comes to the middle east and that region. >> steve, i'd like you to weigh in here because we are expect 9 president trump to ask saudi arabia for more help in the anti-terrorism effort. do you think that that will actually come to fruition? do you think saudi arabia will put more into this anti-activity, anti-isis fight? >> i do believe they will and i believe they will outline for president trump the considerable things the saudis are already doing. they have one of the most robust and capable abdomen tie terrorism intelligence forces, both inside their country looking throughout the middle east and also trying to reform those that have been falling a

kind of a jihadist line. so the saudis have been real partners with us in a whole variety of things and i think they're looking forward to deepening that relationship with the united states. but they think that in doing so, they're also buying support for some of the things that they want, like yemen. and i think what ayman was just talking about, not want to go hear from the united states about human rights issues inside saudi arabia, they also don't want counsel from the united states on what may happen with innocent casualties and what about the in terms of saudi incursions and a tax inside yemen. i think they're going to want to hear less complaints from the united states about whom the saudis want to support inside syria. and i think in that arena, there will be a renegotiated element of coordination and the deepening of the anti-terror efforts between the united states and the saudis. >> and, steve, colonel swrak jobs had mentioned earlier about the possibility of them forming an arab nato. what would that look like if

that came to fruition and is what would that do to our relations with saudi arabia and the middle east? >> well, this has been something that's been discussed for years and years and years. and it would be essentially the gcc, the gulf cooperation council of countries coming together and beginning to sort of collectively look at their joint military needs, how they assign the capacity and the military capacity they have in assigning it to various scenarios and security in the region. there's a lot of reasons this has always been discussed and a lot of reasons between them, particularly mistrust in many of the gcc countries that it has inhibited a real nato like relationship from coming together. we often look at the gcc and say why, isn't they operate as a unit in a group on occasion, why can't they do that? but inside the gcc countries, there's a lot of distrust of each other and distrust of the saudis in particular even among other sunni states. so i don't imagine that that's

going to go very far. >> colonel jacobs, if you could weigh in here, what do you think it would take for the united states in our position to get the middle east on board to be a collaborative effort to actually fight terrorism? >> i agree with steve, that it's so fragmented both political i, militarily and geographical there that it's going to be extremely difficult to get everybody who has an interest in stability to coalesce in some major structural effort so that terrorism and other problems can be fought in a unified kind of way. there's just far too much fragmentation, which you are going to continue to have, however, is another thing steve mentioned and that's extremely important and that is continued and perhaps increased intelligence informationing sharing. that's the lifeblood of fighting terrorism and instability in any region, but particularly in the region of the middle east.

so the best we can hope for is improved cooperation on development of finished intelligence so that we can all fight terrorism and instability in the region. but coalescing everybody into a unified effort long standing effort to solve mutual defense problems, probably not going to happen anytime soon. >> and colonel jacobs, we're watching live pictures and president trump was just given some sort of medal or award around his neck. i'm not sure what that is. >> it seems that they are giving him a plaque of some sort. i wasn't able to hear the actual comments that were -- >> it's a medal that he's been given. >> oh, it was a medal that's been given. ali may be more familiar with the process right now. >> ali, can you weigh in ones what's going on here? >> yes, yes, he's being given a medal that is given to saudi arabia's closest friends. it's probably the highest medal that saudi arabia can give to

any foreign leader, really. >> i just wanted to jump in on the point of intelligence sharing. senior u.s. officials have stoeld me u.s.-saudi cooperation is among the strold strongest in the world. so i don't think that needs to get any stronger. on the concept of an arab nato, remember saudi arabia just put together an anti-terrorism alliance with 39 muslim states. obviously, some muslim states will be providing the brunt of the firepower. management and structure and headquarters for that has been put together in real. and i think america can play a very important role in helping coordinate and helping lite lead that in a way. also, the gulf cooperation council. so i think people understand in the region today that they have to work together. that's happening in the war on yes, ma'am b where saudi arabia and the uae are working very closely together. .america can play a very important coordinating role because america has strong ties

and operational ties with everybody. and it can bring, you know, the operational pieces together very effectively. the so i think the fact that the president has shown a lot of interest in that and general mattis as a former head of the central command. so he has an intimate knowledge of the issues there. i think america can make a difference and make that sort of bilateral effort to fight terrorism in yemen and in the rest of the arab world much more effective. so i think there's something substantive there. i wouldn't diminish the talk about, you know, putting together a group to fight terrorism in the region with american involved because i think it's come a long way in the last couple of years and i think america can make a difference and this administration has shown that it wants to make a difference at that. >> ali, you had mentioned earlier there is mistrust within the arab nations and we are dealing with a situation now where president trump is being,

obviously, the red carpet rolled out for him here. but during the election, there was a lot of rhetoric that came up, very anti-islam and he was very strong in his words. how will that play out now that he is in saudi arabia and in advance of his speech tomorrow where their trust might be reinstated? what is the president going to have to do to get saudi arabia on board and to actually have a communication that's working? >> well, he's already done a lot. when you see all the rhetoric that he used in the campaign and some of the early language that he used even when he became president, and then you see him making a decision to come to saudi arabia first and agreeing to meet all these muslim leaders and giving a speech on islam, i mean, he sent all the right signals, really, that he appreciates that, you know, and as a sitting president, he's different from a politician that really a lot of the rhetoric from the campaign was wrong.

and that these muslim allies of his, particularly saudi arabia, is on the front line against terrorism. he needs them to fight terrorism. they have been working very well with america to fight terrorism and i think he's confirming that. and the fact that, you know, he is making such an important gesture is being well received, relate. and you're seeing the manifestation of that on the ground in riyadh now. >> and we're going to bring in ozzie paver, senior reporter for politico new york. what's the domestic background now and how is that going to influence president trump's trip overseas? >> well, the background is clearly the rhetoric from the campaign and the rhetoric that he's using in his first hundred days in office, having suspicion about refugees coming abroad, coming into the country. everyone remembers all the rhetoric he had used on the campaign trail and the politics behind this seeing here, at least, is that the president is going to be able to use this trip to underscore the fact that

there is commonality between american interests in fighting terrorism and those with overseas allies. but it's also going to inoculate trump from the criticism that he's anti-islam, that he's anti-immigrant. whether or not he actually makes substantive changes to policies in his rhetoric is going to be something that we have to wait and see, but he's viewed very suspiciously on the left and from people who took seriously the rhetoric from his campaign. and now he's going to go overseas and possibly modify how he explains his policies. >> and i'd like to bring in jonathan allen, a columnist from roll call and coauthor of "shattered," inside hillary clinton's doomed campaign. jonathan, there's no denying that these headlines hit as president trump was in the air. which of these headlines that hit last night are going to be the most damaging, potentially the most damaging to president trump? >> well, i think you've got a wide variety of them to choose

from. i think the investigation now is starting to see as a person of interest somebody who is described as a white house official close to the president. you know, i think that the way these investigations work, the higher you can work up the chain, the closer you get to the principal, the more the noose is tightening. so i think to me that's the most important revelation, obviously. you know, there are some other good headlines or interesting headlines there for those who like to see splashy stuff at the top of the paper, the nut job comment about game comey is interesting. but i really think that advancement of the investigation closer to his inner circle is the big thing. >> and we're going to go right now to nbc's kelly o'donnell. she is traveling with the president and she joins us from riyadh. kelly, can you tell us what's on the agenda today for president trump? >> good to be with you. this is, of course, the start of what will be an important trip for the president to be sort of graded on his stature on the world stage. and we've already seen the welcome ceremony which has been

replete with lots of pomp and ceremony and gestures towards the united states. the streets here are lined with american flags. we heard the national anthem being played. and all of the ceremony to lend the stature of this being the first place where president trump has decided to visit as president in saudi arabia. there are meetings to be had on issues of common interests from business to fighting terrorism. but the start of the trip is much more about building some context personally, having the delegations with the u.s. and the saudis, have some time to meet. there are no big formal opportunities for the president to make remarks here today. but we'll watch for any chance where he may make some comments. but at this point, it is the hospitality of saudi arabia that is starting this trip for the president and the first lady. and the members of the delegation, many of whom are familiar to us at the white house from the chief of staff, reince priebus, to top adviser steve banyan and, of course, the

president's daughter and son-in-law who are officials in the white house. this will be an opportunity for president trump to leave behind some of the controversy and the nagging headlines that have dogged him in the united states, to get a brief buffer from that.. it's all still relevant.. but in this timing, he has a chance to try and shift the conversation a bit and focus on the u.s. relationship with this important partner in the middle eastern world. of course, it is the beginning of a three-religion pilgrimage the president is making to honor each of these three great world regions. islam here .later it will be judaism in israel and of course to the vatican to meet pope francis. so it is a trip that has many layers from diplomacy so business to religious

acknowledgement and in many ways for the in the man who is now president, so harsh about islam, this is a chance for him to try to build relationships and soften some of those rougher edges in the way that he characterized radical islam in particular and the religion more broadly as some interpreted it. dara. >> kelly, we have been watching live pictures of president trump in his welcoming ceremony. if you could, gives a brief description of what was going on in that room and where they're head to go now. >> well, there was the opportunity for the king to show some hospitality with what they've called a coffee ceremony. they'll also have a tour of the palace and there will be a delegation luncheon where there is business to be done, but also relationship building to take place, as well. and so this day, it will be -- it's already afternoon here, site will be a packed afternoon for the president and first lady and the u.s. delegation. but each of these things is steeped with a lot of formality and a lot of ceremony, clearly

saudi arabia is prepared heavily for this. the hotel where the president is staying has had his image projected on the side of the hotel. american flags are very visible here. also, very tight security as you would expect for a visit of this magnitude. but consider this an opportunity for some of the graciousness of the saudi king to be extended toward the u.s. president, a chance for the president who is accustom to being the one who leads the moment. at the white house, when there are foreign dignitaries the who visit, it is the president who decides where they sit and move. this is a chance for him to be part of a ceremony around him and not the one directing the ceremony. but consider it an opportunity for the delegations to talk about those range of issues. dealing with business to terrorism to building the relationship. and there's a subtext here, as well. the u.s. has had a harder, more

difficult position toward iran in the trump years as opposed to the obama years with the efforts to try to stifle the iranian nuclear program. this is a sunni country and the saudi arabia has a fierce foe in iran. so this is a different kind of back drop to this conversation here where the u.s. is certainly standing with a partner who has been an ally in this region for many decades, defense of saudi arabia's an issue, as well. the president said saudis could pay more for their defense. so all of these complicated issues will be a part of it. there are many opportunities for the president, but there are some trouble spots if he is not careful about how he proceeds. dara. >> kelly, thank you so much. ozzie, if i can just get one quick question in here, what do you expect out of this trip? it is sort of a news conference, no news for him for the nine days, but what is he going to walk back into and how is this going to work out? >> he's going to walk into an

arena where he gets to say i have allies in the muslim world, we're working together, we agree, look at all my friends. that's the message that he's going to come out with. >> it will be an interesting nine days ahead of it. and then he moves on to israel and we'll see what happens there. so azi, thank you so much for being here. jonathan allen, great to have you. steve clemens, thanks for staying with us for these past two hours. ayman, great to have you weighing in on this situation, as well. and colonel jack jacobs, our military analyst, always a pleasure to have you here. ali, wonderful to have your input on this major trip for president trump overseas. this is his first overseas trip in saudi arabia. obviously, the red carpet has been rolled out for president trump. we saw it on the tarmac, we saw it again at the palace. and we will have live coverage continue throughout the day. and that wraps up this edition of msnbc live.

i'm dara brown. stay with us. up next is "your business." coming up at 8:00 a.m., we hear from former fbi director james comey when he testifies before the senate intelligence committee. whoa! you're not taking these. hey, hey, hey! you're not taking those. whoa, whoa! you're not taking that. come with me. you're not taking that. you're not taking that. you're not taking that. mom, i'm taking the subaru. don't be late. even when we're not there to keep them safe, our subaru outback will be. (vo) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. beneful grain free is so healthy... oh! farm-raised chicken! that's good chicken. hm!? here come the accents. blueberries and pumpkin. wow. and spinach! that was my favorite bite so far. (avo) new beneful grain free. out with the grain, in with the farm-raised chicken. healthful. flavorful. beneful. p3 planters nuts, jerky and whaseeds.at? i like a variety in my protein.

totally, that's why i have this uh trail mix. wow minty. p3 snacks. the more interesting way to get your protein. ♪"my friends know me so well. they can tell what i'm thinking, just by looking in my eyes. but what they didn't know was that i had dry, itchy eyes. i used artificial tears from the moment i woke up... ...to the moment i went to bed. so i finally decided to show my eyes some love,...

...some eyelove. eyelove means having a chat with your eye doctor about your dry eyes because if you're using artificial tears often and still have symptoms, it could be chronic dry eye. it's all about eyelove, my friends.

good morning. coming up, breaking up is hard to do. the co-owners of this furniture company went their separate ways. find out how their reconciliation turned into growth for their company. plus, why love in business could be a heartbreaking success. that's coming up next on "your business."