Trump to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, Vatican in first foreign trip

President Trump announced Thursday he will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Vatican during his first foreign trip as president later this month.

Trump is adding those destinations to a trip that will now end with appearances at a NATO summit in Brussels on May 25 and a meeting of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries in Sicily May 26-27.

The president said he will begin his trip in Saudi Arabia, where he will convene a “historic gathering” of “leaders from all across the Muslim world” to form a new push to combat terrorism and Islamic radicalism.

“We will begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, and terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for Muslims in their countries,” he said at the White House.

The stakes are always high for presidents during their first trips abroad, but Trump will face added pressure as a leader who has never before held elected office.

The trip is designed to bolster partnerships, such as the NATO alliance, that Trump questioned during the 2016 campaign. The president recently backed off his criticism that the post-World War II partnership is “obsolete.”

The president’s trip follows separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the White House.

Trump indicated last month he would seek an audience with Pope Francis, who has offered veiled criticism of the president’s stances on immigration and refugees.

“I look very much forward to meeting the pope,” Trump said during a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in April.