President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gesture as they meet delegations at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. AP
Trump is expected to roll out the red carpet for the prince with a fly-by, cannon fire and a gala dinner -- giving the Saudi the equivalent of a state dinner, even though he is not a head of state.
Trump has made a priority of boosting ties with the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, and said on Monday he would sell coveted F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from Israel.
In another area of past contention, he will sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation, a source familiar with the negotiations said.
Trump will also push Prince Mohammed to normalise relations with Israel as he seeks a wider Middle East peace deal after the war in Gaza.
"We're more than meeting," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday when asked about the visit. "We're honouring Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince."
The Saudi prince is looking forward to a fresh start on his first US trip in eight years.
The 40-year-old prince has fostered close ties with Trump over the years -- a relationship burnished by a lavish welcome and $600 billion in investment pledges when the president visited Saudi Arabia in May.
Security guarantees
Prince Mohammed will have his own agenda, seeking firmer US security guarantees after Israeli strikes in September on Qatar, an iron-clad US ally, rattled the wealthy Gulf region.
Along with the F-35 jets, Riyadh is seeking to buy advanced air and missile defence systems.
It will also push hard for access to the high-tech chips it needs to fuel its AI ambitions, experts said.
But Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalisation with Israel at this stage, despite Trump's aim for the grand prize of Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords that he launched in his first term.
"We have a lot of people joining the Abraham Accords, and hopefully we are going to get Saudi Arabia very soon," Trump said earlier this month.
Potential Saudi moves towards normalisation in return for security and energy guarantees were put on hold after the devastating Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023.
Riyadh appears in no mood to budge without any progress on its international push for a Palestinian state.
Despite that, Trump will look to underscore the "bromance" with Prince Mohammed that both leaders have been keen to show off since the president's return to office.
Trump is also expected to attend a US-Saudi investment forum spotlighting energy and artificial intelligence taking place in Washington on Wednesday.
The Republican president's family also has extensive business ties with the Saudis.
The day before the prince's visit, Saudi developer Dar Global announced a new partnership with the Trump Organisation to build a luxury hotel in the Maldives.
Investors will be able to participate in its financing through digital tokens.
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