President Trump visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
ABU DHABI, UAE, and RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — On Thursday, President Trump made his first known visit to a mosque during his presidency.
His tour included a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the UAE, part of a more extensive diplomatic journey through the Middle East, marking his first significant foreign trip of his second term.
During his outing, Trump followed the customary practice of removing his shoes and was guided by Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
“Isn’t this beautiful? It is so beautiful,” Trump remarked. “This is an incredible culture.”
The mosque is renowned for its stunning white marble domes and intricately designed Italian marble floors adorned with floral patterns. It attracts numerous tourists, politicians, and celebrities to Abu Dhabi.
Yousif al-Obaidli, the general director of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, accompanies President Trump on a guided tour of the mosque on May 15, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP
Trump shares a close relationship with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the ruler of the UAE, who welcomed him upon his arrival. This relationship was strengthened by the UAE’s decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel during Trump’s first term.
The UAE constitutes the third leg of Trump’s Middle Eastern tour, which commenced with grand ceremonies in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Each nation honored him with ceremonial processions featuring Arabian horses and honor guards.
Trump’s family has significant business ventures in these countries, with investments in Trump-branded developments, including towers and golf courses. Additionally, a UAE investment fund utilized the Trump family’s involvement in cryptocurrency to secure a $2 billion stake in Binance.
President Trump tours the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, along with mosque officials, on May 15, 2025.
Win McNamee/Getty Images Europe
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her spouse, Jared Kushner, had visited the mosque in 2020 while serving as officials in Trump’s administration.
In 2016, Joe Biden also visited the mosque when he was vice president.
As president, Trump has not been recorded visiting any mosques in the U.S. While it cannot be ruled out that he may have done so privately, this remains unverified.
U.S. presidents are generally known to visit churches more often, with only a few having officially visited mosques, as noted by the White House Historical Association. Notable visits include President Dwight Eisenhower opening a mosque in Washington, D.C. in 1957, and former President George W. Bush addressing the same mosque after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. In 2016, Barack Obama made a visit to a mosque near Baltimore.
During his 2016 campaign, Trump made comments hinting at negative views towards mosques without any factual basis, stating they should be surveilled, and he later fulfilled a promise to impose a travel ban on several Muslim-majority nations.
As of late, however, he has softened his stance. Arab and Muslim voters played a critical role in swinging Michigan to support Trump in the November election, in part due to dissatisfaction with the Biden-Harris administration’s unwavering commitment to Israel despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“The Muslim community was there to support us in November, and as president, I will be there for you,” Trump pledged during a Ramadan iftar at the White House in March.
Since taking office, Trump’s already complicated relationship with Muslim voters has worsened. The ceasefire negotiated during the final days of the Biden administration in the Israel-Hamas conflict has since faltered. Residents of Gaza have faced severe aid shortages due to an Israeli blockade, and the Biden administration has stepped up immigration enforcement, including the detention of Muslim individuals supporting Palestinian rights.
During his UAE visit, Trump proposed the controversial idea of the U.S. taking control of the Gaza Strip, suggesting, “I would be proud to have the United States take it, create a freedom zone, and foster positive outcomes.”
The Middle East tour is set to conclude on Friday.