During the election campaign, Joe Biden was particularly harsh on Saudi Arabia.
After the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it must be turned into a "pariah state" and "make the country pay the price".
But now it is likely to be primarily economic interests that are leading the American president to Riyadh.
Biden is under a lot of pressure because of the high fuel prices in his own country.
There is no official announcement of the trip yet.
But various media, citing senior government officials, are reporting that Biden is planning a visit to Saudi Arabia and a meeting with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman this month.
Sofia Dreisbach
North American political correspondent based in Washington.
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Without going into detail, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked on Thursday: "I can assure you that the President is primarily focused on how his talks with foreign heads of state serve American interests." That applies to Saudi Arabia as for all other countries.
However, Biden's statement from back then still applies.
"Nothing changed about that."
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken spoke to Foreign Affairs magazine this week of a "comprehensive approach" to Saudi Arabia.
Over the past fifteen months there has been a "recalibration" of the relationship, ensuring that America's interests come first.
In February last year, the United States released an intelligence report blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly for the assassination of Khashoggi.
Human rights remain an issue, Blinken said, but it's important to "engage with Saudi Arabia."
Riyadh is a "crucial partner" in the fight against extremism in the region, in the confrontation with Iran and in advancing the countries of the region's relations with Israel.
Political observers see Biden's decision as a victory for Realpolitik.
Washington is the country's second largest trading partner and Riyadh is the United States' third largest source of imported oil.
After months of negotiations, Saudi Arabia and the other states in the oil cartel Opec+ pledged to increase oil production on Thursday.
As recently as last week, the Saudi foreign minister said that nothing more could be done to ease the situation on the oil market.
But even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices skyrocketing, Washington was trying to improve relations with Saudi Arabia, particularly over the war in Yemen.
After the international community secured a two-month ceasefire extension in Yemen on Tuesday, Biden hailed the "courageous leadership" of Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military coalition in the neighboring country.