On July 13, Trump said the United States is protecting several wealthy Middle
Eastern countries—naming Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait—and
should be reimbursed for those costs. He said the U.S. spends money in the
region and the protected states should bear related expenses. Trump also claimed
that, counting oil from places like Venezuela, the U.S. controls more than half
of global oil supplies and therefore is not dependent on Middle Eastern oil; he
said U.S. actions in the region are primarily to protect allies.
