With a trip escaping the conflicts at home, Donald Trump may just be getting himself into a notable amount of possible hot water abroad.

What happened?

Donald Trump has organized a trip to the Middle East, meeting with the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, which serves as a signifier to initiate an alliance with Middle Eastern Muslims. With this trip, there can be increased cooperation amongst Muslims in the fight against ISIS and the reduction of assumed ‘Islamic extremism’ stemming from the Middle East. However, given past rhetoric and labeling towards Muslims, there may be a notable amount of volatility to the very proposition. The volatile idea of xenophobic rhetoric served as one of the core components of the trailblazing track of Donald Trump to his presidency.

Saudi officials have been rather quick to try to bury the hatchet, however. Statements have been issued stating that the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia was fine and dandy, and that the United States was absolutely not representative of xenophobia. With this, there are hopes that the Saudi Arabian government would be offering their full cooperation to the United States to eradicate extremism once and for all. However, the fundamental premises that the very statement carries is highly problematic.

This is in the eve of a large scandal that Donald Trump has been found meddling in the middle of, with the consequences of the action being extremely major. The revealing of national secrets to Russian ambassadors in an act of personal embellishment of presidential accolades is a childish way to jeopardize international relations. This is especially significant, in regards to the trust other countries have when sharing secrets with the United States, and that is what was put into limbo after Donald Trump was accused of this act.

What does this mean?

Given the premise by which Donald Trump became President, the question regarding the visit that we all ought to be asking becomes less interrogative of the malicious internalized perspectives of the country and more about the perspectives of Donald Trump as an individual. With over-the-top and characteristically dramatic rhetoric resembling that of a group of babbling, bumbling band of baboons (10 points to whoever catches the reference), the conversation that has already been had can potentially be very problematic. The fundamental connotations that carry over to the initiation of the conversation may be extremely inconsistent, and may carry over sentiments that are certainly unfavorable to the majority of Muslims around the world.

However, not even a divided America is willing to commit to the endorsements that Donald Trump is attempting to make, as the trip is a timely departure in the eve of the beginning of the investigation against Donald Trump, regarding his aforementioned scandal. With the antagonism towards him already fueled within the American population, this just seems like the perfect escape to a setting where he can enact his latest controversial blunder.

The topic itself is one of the most sensitive subjects to approach, and assuming that Donald Trump would do a good enough job to try and obtain the support of the global Muslim community is rather absurd as a prospect to believe. But, perhaps this form of cooperation may be a golden ticket for the Middle East as well as the global Muslim population. A sign of cooperation may be a perceptual breakthrough that can drive home the message that ‘Not all Muslims are terrorists,’ a narrative based on truth that Muslims and their advocates have been trying to get across to the populations of the Western world.

Such a claim assumes that Donald Trump will not make volatile comments toward Muslims that are fueled by hatred. Hence, there are a large variety of risks that are carried over in the face of this visit. The hateful comments could potentially drive an even stronger wedge between Western countries and Muslims around the world, intensifying the platforms as well as the people who utilize the platforms for racial violence and practice of discrimination. Trump’s potentially divisive rhetoric may be a dangerous tipping point in the politics of the world.

Perhaps, Trump may be of some use, but it’s optimism that is far-fetched to say the least.