President Donald J. Trump traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, marking the final leg of his Middle East trip.
While visiting Qasr Al Watan, the UAE’s presidential palace in the capital city of Abu Dhabi, Trump was greeted by an unusual group of cultural performers.
A group of women wearing flowing white gowns tossed their long black hair from side to side as Trump walked through the palace, while a small group of men waved sword-like objects.
To those unfamiliar with culture and expressed surprise at young girls performing traditional Emirati dances.
Young girls were seen flipping hair with dance moves while US prez Trumps walks out.
It’s a deeply rooted part of UAE heritage.
— Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) May 16, 2025
“What a beautiful city! I love it!” Trump told reporters after inspecting the performers.
The presentation is known as the Al-Ayyala, a traditional performance often seen at weddings and festive occasions in Oman and the UAE, according to the New York Post, which noted that unlike other Middle East countries, there are no laws in the UAE forcing women to cover their hair.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said the Al-Ayyala involves “chanted poetry, drum music and dance, and simulates a battle scene.”
“In the United Arab Emirates, girls wearing traditional dresses stand at the front, tossing their long hair from side to side,” according to UNESCO.
Here’s more on the cultural performance and what it signals about President Trump:
To everyone confused by the “hair swinging” ritual in Trump’s UAE visit:
That wasn’t random. That wasn’t a TikTok dance.
That was ancient. Intentional. Royal.Here’s what it really meant:
The ritual is known in Gulf Arab culture especially in the UAE as part of a ceremonial… pic.twitter.com/RT1SYyqG8g
— 589bull (@589bull10000) May 16, 2025
Escorted by Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Trump made his first visit as president to a mosque, removing his shoes as is customary.
President Trump visits the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the UAE.
It’s truly gargantuan. You notice it when the camera zooms in on Trump and you see how small he is by comparison.
Trump took off his shoes off out of respect as he walks on the carpet.pic.twitter.com/TmlbvKoJ7p
— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) May 15, 2025
Here’s more from Trump’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, as seen on X:
This is how the UAE welcomed President Donald J. Trump in Abu Dhabi tonight.
— حسن سجواني Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) May 15, 2025
President Trump salutes as The Star-Spangled Banner is played at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi
— حسن سجواني Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) May 15, 2025
BREAKING: The world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai just lit up in the American flag on the occasion of President Trump’s visit tonight to the UAE. pic.twitter.com/DqFgM3AVV7
— حسن سجواني Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) May 15, 2025
“The gleaming marbles of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation builders, neocons, or liberal nonprofits. The birth of a modern Middle East has been brought by the people of the region themselves.” –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/dA9G3WKiuR
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2025
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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