Donald Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, as he welcomed the royal to the White House.
The sitdown in the Oval Office took place four years after a US intelligence assessment concluded the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The crown prince has denied ordering the operation.
During their meeting, Trump brushed aside questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, praised the prince for his statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the US.
‘Things happen,’ Trump says in defence of MBS
The meeting was the first White House visit for the crown prince since Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in 2018. The prince, nicknamed MBS, faced questions from reporters over Khashoggi’s killing, along with the role that Saudi citizens played in the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Trump lashed out at the reporter for the line of questioning, and called Khashoggi, a Saudi pro-democracy activist, “extremely controversial”.
He said: “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”
Elon Musk attended a a dinner hosted by Trump for Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (Photo: Tom Brenner/Reuters)Prince Mohammad, who has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing, replied that his government had taken action. “It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We did all the right steps of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again. And it’s painful, and it was a huge mistake.”
Khashoggi’s widow spoke out after the meeting.
“Nothing (can) justify just a horrible crime … because he’s controversial or he’s unliked by someone,” Hanan Elatr Khashoggi told Reuters. Trump also commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail.
“What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else,” Trump said.
Military cooperation
The White House announced Trump had approved future deliveries of F-35 fighter jets and the Saudis had agreed to purchase 300 American tanks.
Some in the Pentagon and other agencies have opposed the sale because of the potential for advanced technology being shared with China, which also has close ties with Saudi Arabia.
Until now, Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35. “As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line,” Trump said of Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already has F-35s. “Israel’s aware and they’re going to be very happy.” Israeli officials have suggested that they would not be opposed to Saudi Arabia getting F-35s, as long as the Saudis normalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. The Saudis have said they would join the Abraham Accords but only after there is a credible and guaranteed path to Palestinian statehood, a position Prince Mohammad repeated in the meeting. “We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” he said. “We’re going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that.” The two nations also signed a deal that calls for the Saudis to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the U.S. At a lavish dinner, Trump announced he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-Nato ally.
Musk joins dinner
Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined the dinner on Tuesday night, which was also attended by other high-profile figures including Portugal’s soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
They dined on a pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by a couverture mousse pear for dessert.
Musk supported and funded Trump’s election last year and became a close adviser to his administration early this year, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and overseeing cuts to federal funding and jobs.
But the two fell out over Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, which saw Musk declare plans to create a new political party and Trump threaten to cut subsidies.
Musk and Trump have rarely come together publicly since.
Your next read
square WORLD AnalysisEpstein’s vulgar Putin reference renews speculation on Russia’s power over Trump
square WORLD ExplainedTrump’s next move – as his ‘quiet piggy’ outburst betrays panic over Epstein files
square EPSTEIN SCANDALUS Congress votes to release Epstein files – here’s what could happen next
square NICK BRYANTEpstein said he knew how ‘dirty Donald is’. Now the world may find out
Hence then, the article about the key moments from trump s meeting with saudi crown prince was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The key moments from Trump’s meeting with Saudi crown prince )
Also on site :
- Crews respond to large fire at Denny Hamlin's parents' house in Stanley: Sources
- XPENG-Peking University Collaborative Research Accepted by AAAI 2026: Introducing a Novel Visual Token Pruning Framework for Autonomous Driving
- John Legend Celebrates 47th Birthday With Family Slime Outing in New York