Trump Welcomes Saudi Crown Prince: Major Defense Deals and $1 Trillion Investment Commitment Announced

Tuesday's meeting marked the crown prince's first White House visit since 2018.

Washington:

President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House in a notably warm and cordial meeting, characterized by frequent handshakes and friendly gestures. Trump sidestepped inquiries about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, commended the prince's leadership, and announced new Saudi investments in the United States worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Saudi royal received an elaborate welcome on Tuesday, including fighter jet escorts that both leaders viewed from a red carpet, a mounted honor guard parade, and an extravagant dinner in the East Room.

During their Oval Office discussion, which occurred just seven years after Prince Mohammad was implicated by US intelligence agencies in journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing, Trump and the prince fielded numerous questions from reporters—one of whom was repeatedly criticized by Trump—covering topics from trade agreements to the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh.

Here are the key highlights from the visit:

Trump had earlier indicated his decision to sell F-35s on Sunday but officially confirmed it before the prince on Tuesday, stating that the approval was finalized and that Israel's concerns about maintaining its military advantage in the Middle East would be addressed.

The deal's specifics remained unclear, with some Pentagon officials and other agencies opposing the sale due to concerns about advanced technology potentially being shared with China, which also maintains close relations with Saudi Arabia.

"As far as I'm concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line," Trump remarked regarding Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already possesses F-35s. "Israel's aware and they're going to be very happy."

Israeli officials have indicated they wouldn't oppose Saudi Arabia acquiring F-35s if Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework.

The Saudis have expressed willingness to join the Abraham Accords but only after establishing a credible path to Palestinian statehood, a position Prince Mohammad reaffirmed during 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 stated. "We're going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that."

Trump also announced that the US and Saudi Arabia would finalize a broader military and security agreement during the visit and proceed with a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, which has also raised concerns in Israel.

The two nations signed a deal for Saudi Arabia to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the US.

At Tuesday evening's dinner, Trump designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic move granting foreign partners certain defense, trade, and security cooperation benefits.

This meeting represented the crown prince's first White House visit since Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist, was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018.

US intelligence indicated Prince Mohammad likely approved the killing.

In a notable Oval Office moment, the prince, known as MBS, faced questions from reporters—uncommon for the de facto leader of an absolute monarchy where dissent is criminalized.

He was questioned about Khashoggi's killing and Saudi citizens' involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Trump, however, rebuked the reporter for these questions.

Trump called Khashoggi, a Saudi pro-democracy activist, "extremely controversial" and 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."

Prince Mohammad, who has denied involvement in Khashoggi's death, responded 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."

Trump also praised the Saudi leader for the kingdom's human rights progress without providing specific details, presumably referencing women's rights reforms. "What's he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else," Trump stated.

Trump welcomed Prince Mohammed at the White House's South Lawn entrance with a handshake and his arm around the prince's shoulder. He literally rolled out the red carpet for the Saudi leader, featuring a military band and US military aircraft flyover, before showing the crown prince the White House Colonnade decorations.

"We have a extremely respected man in the Oval Office today," Trump remarked at the meeting's beginning, calling the prince "a friend of mine for a very long time."

Trump also criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for greeting Prince Mohammed with a fist bump during his 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia.

"When you get out of the plane and you get the future king — and a man who is one of the most respected people in the world — you shake his hand, you don't give him a fist bump, right?" Trump said. "Trump doesn't give a fist bump. I grab that hand" — and he did exactly that.

At Tuesday night's dinner, the tuxedo-clad president and first lady Melania Trump again welcomed the crown prince on the red carpet before hosting a dinner attended by tech executives including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

They enjoyed pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by couverture mousse pear for dessert.

Prince Mohammad informed Trump that Saudi Arabia would increase its financial commitments to the US from $600 billion, announced during the president's May visit to Riyadh, to $1 trillion.

These deals' details weren't immediately available but are expected to include investments across various American businesses, including artificial intelligence, as well as jet engine and other equipment purchases.