WASHINGTON (Realist English). US President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered full-throated support to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, insisting the kingdom’s de facto ruler “knew nothing” about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he welcomed him to the White House for a high-profile state visit.
The meeting marked Prince Mohammed’s first trip to the United States since Khashoggi — a Washington Post columnist and prominent critic of the Saudi leadership — was murdered and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. US intelligence concluded in 2021 that the crown prince ordered the operation, a finding Riyadh has long denied.
Trump bristled when an ABC journalist raised the case in front of the crown prince, calling the question “embarrassing” and describing Khashoggi as “extremely controversial.”
“Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happened, but he knew nothing about it,” Trump said. “We can leave it at that.”
Prince Mohammed, who arrived in Washington with a $1 trillion investment pledge, repeated that the killing was a “painful” error committed by rogue operatives.
Arms deals and nuclear cooperation overshadow human rights concerns
Despite the unresolved fallout from the Khashoggi affair, the White House pushed ahead with sweeping new agreements:
- A civil nuclear energy cooperation pact, laying the foundation for decades-long collaboration.
- A major defence sale, including future deliveries of F-35 stealth fighters.
- A commitment to share AI technologies, with safeguards to prevent foreign access to sensitive US systems.
The visit featured a rare ceremonial flyover of US-made F-35s and a lavish gala hosted by First Lady Melania Trump. Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo — now playing in Saudi Arabia — was among the expected attendees.
Inside the Oval Office, Trump called the crown prince “a very good friend” and praised him as “incredible, in terms of human rights and everything else.”
Victim’s family denounces remarks
Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, condemned Trump’s comments, saying: “There is no justification to murder my husband.” She urged Prince Mohammed to meet her, offer an apology, and provide compensation.
Political and business ties entwined
Trump said he urged the prince to move toward the Abraham Accords, arguing that Saudi recognition of Israel could help stabilise the region amid the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Prince Mohammed said he was open to joining — but only with a “clear path” toward a Palestinian state.
The trip also highlighted longstanding business links between the Trump family and Saudi investors. Asked about potential conflicts of interest after a Saudi developer announced a new Trump-branded hotel project in the Maldives, the president insisted: “I have nothing to do with the family business. I have left.”
As Washington deepens cooperation with Riyadh on military, energy and technology fronts, Trump’s overt defence of the crown prince underscores a strategic reset: setting aside one of the most controversial political killings of the past decade in favour of a renewed geopolitical and economic partnership.
