US President Donald Trump defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the prince’s visit to Washington. Trump dismissed criticism over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and claimed the crown prince knew nothing about the incident. He grew angry when a reporter asked about the murder in the Oval Office and said the question embarrassed his guest.
Prince Mohammed called the killing painful and a major mistake. Trump highlighted Saudi pledges of $1 trillion in US investments, and the two leaders celebrated deepening ties. Trump praised the prince as a close friend and spoke positively about his human rights record.
The United States and Saudi Arabia signed several deals, including a major civilian nuclear cooperation agreement and future sales of F-35 fighter jets. Both sides also agreed to expand cooperation in artificial intelligence while protecting sensitive US technology.
Trump pushed the prince to consider joining the Abraham Accords. The Saudi leader said he was open to normalizing relations with Israel if there was a clear path to Palestinian statehood. Despite ongoing criticism, Trump made clear that he wanted to move past the diplomatic fallout from the Khashoggi killing.
