Trump brought out all the fanfare to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House on Tuesday. The red carpet and bands were featured in a more elaborate celebration than what Trump usually gives to foreign leaders who visit the White House.
It was a remarkable sight, seven years after Trump’s own CIA concluded that MBS ordered the assassination and butchering of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The CIA found that 15 Saudi agents chopped up Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in October 2018, after MBS’ brother lured the journalist to the location. Khashoggi was critical of MBS’ policies, including the Saudi crown family’s well-documented human rights abuses. The crown prince’s family has denied involvement in the murder — and Tuesday, Trump dismissed the 2018 killing by saying "things happen."
Trump in his second term has hurled lavish praise on MBS, his family, and Saudi Arabia. He holds deep business ties with the rich Arab nation and is trying to make them even stronger. On Monday, the president announced he will approve the U.S. selling F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh — something Israel has opposed — and said the U.S. is expected to sell AI chips to the Saudis and ink a civil nuclear deal.
