They only gave me a drop: Trump's Murban oil moment in UAE sparks online buzz

UPDATED: May 17, 2025 00:46 IST

US President Donald Trump received a highly symbolic gift during his high-profile visit to the United Arab Emirates on Friday: a single drop of Murban crude oil, the UAE’s premium-grade petroleum. But in true Trump fashion, the moment turned instantly viral after his tongue-in-cheek reaction.

In a viral video, Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and CEO of the Abu Dhabi Oil Company, presents Donald Trump with a capsule of Murban, a high-quality, domestically produced crude oil, after concluding his presentation.

Without hesitation, Trump opens it, turns to the camera, and quips, "This is one drop of oil." “The highest-quality oil there is on the planet, and they only gave me a drop of it. So, I’m not thrilled," Trump said, flashing a trademark grin. "But it’s better than no drop.”

Sultan al-Jaber noted that the Gulf Arab states and the United States plan to spend USD 440 billion in the energy sector through 2035. The deal boosts Trump's efforts to secure major business deals on a Gulf tour.

The viral moment came near the end of Trump’s four-day Middle East tour. Murban is a light, sweet crude oil with an API gravity of 40 and low sulfur content, extracted from the prolific Murban Bab Oil Field discovered in 1958.

Today, it accounts for roughly 2 million barrels per day, making it ADNOC’s largest crude stream.

Trump’s visit to the UAE on Friday concludes his four-day Middle East tour, overshadowed by controversy surrounding a USD 400 million jet from Qatar that he is set to receive. The Boeing aircraft, after presidential modifications, will serve as Air Force One before eventually being placed in his museum.