Washington: The White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has opened with controversy after Trump downplayed the Saudi regime’s role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The remarks came during the crown prince’s high-profile visit to the White House, his first since Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment in Istanbul, a meeting packed with lucrative investment pledges, defence announcements and symbolic diplomatic gestures.
Trump defends Saudi Crown Prince
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump insisted the Saudi leader ‘knew nothing about it,’ despite a formal US intelligence assessment to the contrary.
Mohammed bin Salman acknowledged the killing as ‘a huge mistake’ and ‘painful,’ saying Riyadh was working to ensure ‘this doesn’t happen again.’
$1 trillion investment hint and F-35 controversy
Trump used the visit to highlight Saudi Arabia’s growing economic footprint in the US, with investments initially billed at $600 billion, a figure the crown prince said could reach $1 trillion at Trump’s prompting.
The president also confirmed his intention to sell ‘top of the line’ F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a move opposed by Israel and viewed with caution by US intelligence officials over concerns tied to Riyadh’s security cooperation with China. Trump said Saudi Arabia would receive aircraft similar to those supplied to Israel.
Abraham Accords push and the two-state question
Both leaders revealed they were discussing a potential deal involving Saudi normalisation with Israel in exchange for a commitment to a two-state solution.
The crown prince reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s interest in joining the Abraham Accords but stressed the need for ‘a clear path to a two-state solution,’ noting shifting regional dynamics after the 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s deadly response in Gaza.
Lavish White House dinner with tech titans
Later, at a black-tie White House dinner featuring Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo, Apple’s Tim Cook and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Trump announced that Saudi Arabia would be designated a major non-NATO ally — a symbolic status that expands cooperation in defence and security.
Trump praised Mohammed bin Salman as ‘a man of leadership’ and a long-standing friend. The crown prince said Saudi investments would be heavily directed toward the US tech and AI sectors, in addition to civil nuclear cooperation.
Business ties under scrutiny
The visit also revived scrutiny of the Trump family’s expanding business interests in the Gulf. Trump denied any conflict of interest, saying he had ‘nothing to do with the family business’ since returning to office. His children currently oversee the Trump Organisation, which has reportedly been negotiating multibillion-dollar projects in Saudi Arabia.
Critics argue Trump should have fully divested or placed his holdings in a blind trust, warning that overlapping personal interests and foreign policy decisions could erode public trust.
A visit with state-level optics
Though described as a working trip, the crown prince’s reception included ceremonial fanfare, soldiers on horseback carrying US and Saudi flags and a dramatic flypast of F-16 and F-35 jets, underscoring the geopolitical and economic weight of the US-Saudi partnership.
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