US President Donald Trump is on his first major diplomatic tour since his return to the White House, with the first stop in Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar and the UAE. He met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. The Saudi military officials carried out a drill there where they could be seen saluting the US President. What no one expected was Trump saluting them back. A video of the same has been going viral on social media, and Trump has been receiving backlash from a section of social media users. Others, however, sided with him, saying that it is “okay” to return the salute to the military of friendly nations.

The now-viral video shows Trump returning the salute to the military officials while the Crown Prince is standing next to him with his hands clasped in front. Many Internet users called Trump’s gesture “unreal”. 

This marks the second such instance where Trump is seen returning the gesture. The first one being in 2018 where he saluted a North Korean general.

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Social media meltdown over Trump’s gesture

“A very confused Trump just saluted Saudi military officials at the Royal Court in Riyadh – a blatant breach of US presidential protocol,” said Chris D Jackson on social media. 

He further said, “Imagine for one second if Joe Biden had done that. Fox News would have a week-long meltdown and demand hearings. But when it’s Trump? Crickets.”

Another, like many online, found it “embarrassing”, while a third wrote, “You just know the Emir was giggling to himself all through this. Bet they all had a good laugh afterwards.”

“OMG, didn’t MAGA meltdown when Obama slightly bowed to the Queen!?” commented yet another. 

Yet another X user said, “Trump is so out of touch. He just saluted a Saudi general”. 

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Others backed Trump’s gesture

When one Twitter (now X) user asked Grok whether the US has any official protocol restricting the return of such gestures, the AI chatbot said, “There is no official US presidential protocol prohibiting saluting foreign military officials. US military regulations, like Army Regulation 600-25, note that it’s customary to salute officers of friendly nations, such as Saudi Arabia, a US ally. Trump’s salute in Riyadh aligns with this courtesy, though opinions vary. Some see it as unusual for a civilian President, especially after past controversies like his 2018 salute to a North Korean general. However, the White House has called such gestures ‘common courtesy’. While the action isn’t a breach, it remains debated due to differing views on presidential etiquette in diplomatic settings.”

“He returned a salute. It’s military protocol to salute a higher-ranking officer and for that officer to return the salute. As commander in chief, returning a salute is appropriate,” an individual wrote. 

Another user, William Allen, explained, “The American President is the Commander in Chief, making him the highest ranking member of the US Armed Forces. To be clear, he is not saluting them, they are saluting him.  It is customary for U.S. military members to return the salute of a foreign military member.”

As part of his visit to the Middle East, Donald Trump signed a $600 billion investment deal in Saudi Arabia. It includes a $142 billion defence deal, $20 billion for AI and energy infrastructure, $5.8 billion in healthcare, $4.8 billion for Boeing 737-8 passenger aircraft for AviLease.