Mr Trump's speech today, the centrepiece of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, will address the leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries to cast the challenge of extremism as a "battle between good and evil" and urge Arab leaders to "drive out the terrorists from your places of worship," according to a draft of the speech.

Mr Trump, whose campaign was frequently punctuated by bouts of anti-Islamic rhetoric, is poised to soften some of his language about Islam.

"We are not here to lecture - to tell other peoples how to live, what to do or who to be. We are here instead to offer partnership in building a better future for us all," according to the copy of his speech.

The speech comes amid a renewed courtship of the United States' Arab allies as Mr Trump is set to have individual meetings with leaders of several nations, including Egypt and Qatar, before then participating in a roundtable with the Gulf Cooperation Council and joining Saudi King Salman in opening Riyadh's new anti-terrorism centre.

Two different sources provided the AP with copies of the draft of his remarks, billed as a marquee speech of the trip. The White House confirmed the draft was authentic, but cautioned the president had not yet signed off on the final product and that changes could be made.

Only a week after taking office, Mr Trump signed an executive order to ban immigrants from seven countries - Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen - from entering the United States, a decision that sparked widespread protests at the nation's airports and demonstrations outside the White House.

That ban was blocked by the courts. A second order, which dropped Iraq from the list, is tied up in federal court and the federal government is appealing.

White House officials have said they consider Mr Trump's visit, and his keynote address, a counterweight to President Barack Obama's debut speech to the Muslim world in 2009 in Cairo.

Mr Obama called for understanding and acknowledged some of America's missteps in the region. That speech was denounced by many Republicans and criticised by a number of the United States' Middle East allies as being a sort of apology.

Saudi Arabia's leaders soured on Mr Obama, and King Salman did not greet him at the airport during his final visit to the kingdom. But on Saturday, the 81-year-old king, aided by a cane, walked along the red carpet to meet Mr Trump as a fleet of military jets swept through the sky, leaving a red, white and blue trail in their wake.

During a ceremony at the grand Saudi Royal Court, the king awarded Mr Trump the Collar of Abdulaziz al Saud, the theocracy's highest civilian honor.

Mr Trump bent down so the king could place the gold medal around his neck. Saudi Arabia has previously bestowed the honour on Russian president Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Theresa May and Mr Obama.

Later on Saturday, Mr Trump was greeted by a traditional troupe of Saudi drummers and sword-waving dancers.

The president's stop in Saudi Arabia's dusty desert capital kicked off his first foreign trip as president, an ambitious, five-stop swing that will take him through the Middle East and into Europe. He's the only American president to make Saudi Arabia - or any Muslim-majority nation - his first overseas visit.