U.S. President Donald Trump was left less than impressed by a symbolic gift — a single drop of crude oil. During his four day UAE visit, U.S. President Donald Trump was left less than impressed by a symbolic gift by his Gulf hosts — a single drop of crude oil. Trump was attending a presentation led by Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), alongside representatives from ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum. As the presentation concluded, Al Jaber handed Trump a capsule containing a sample of Murban — a high-quality, domestically produced crude oil from the UAE.
In a video that quickly went viral, Trump is seen examining the capsule and joking, “This is one drop of oil,” before turning to the camera and adding, “The highest quality oil there is on the planet, and they only gave me a drop of it, so I’m not thrilled.” Murban oil, discovered in 1958 at the Murban Bab Oil Field, is known for its low carbon emissions, with an API gravity of 40 and sulfur content of just 0.778. The Murban-3 well began production in 1960, yielding over 3,600 barrels per day.
Beyond the symbolic gesture, the UAE made significant financial pledges. Al Jaber announced that the Gulf nation and the U.S. plan to invest $440 billion in the energy sector through 2035, with $60 billion earmarked for upstream oil, gas, and unconventional ventures, according to Reuters. Trump’s Middle East tour has attracted massive investment commitments to the U.S., including a planned $600 billion from Saudi Arabia. That figure includes nearly $142 billion in defense sales — the largest agreement of its kind between the two allies — as well as contributions from Qatar.
“He got used to plane”
Meanwhile, Internet had a different set of reaction to it. A few netizens went on to compare it with the gift from Qatar Royal family – Boeing 747 – worth an estimated $400 million—will be used as a “temporary Air Force One.” A user commented, ” He got a used plane that’s litterally too big to fly and too expensive to maintain.” Another stated, “he got handed a gold plated turd they’re trying to dump and he’s too dumb to realize.” Another claimed, “Wait until it gets through his thick skull. The plane is known as a white elephant, they have tried selling it for like 12 years, nobody wants it. It was not good enough for the owner. So now the Arab world is laughing at trump, he is getting a “gift” that will save Qatar hundreds of thousands a year in maintenance and parking rent.” “He wants an upgraded plane for post presidential use and wants it on the American dime,” noted another user. A netizen joked, “Trump: Bribe me better!” “Someone clue’d him in he was basically re-gifted. Lol, almost got him,” wrote a user.