Trump Hosts Mohammed bin Salman to Discuss Investment, F-35 Deals

US president Donald Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with pomp and pageantry on Tuesday, part of a White House effort to treat Riyadh as an important but problematic regional player in the Middle East and more as a cherished ally and trading partner. But despite Trump’s attempt to focus on US investment pledges in the country, Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record and the Trump family’s financial ties to the country have brought heightened scrutiny to the historic visit.

Tuesday was Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to Washington since 2018, the same year the crown prince is believed to have ordered Khashoggi’s killing. The Washington Post Writer Jamal Khashoggi. Both Trump and the Crown Prince deny the latter’s involvement, which contradicts US intelligence.

US President Donald Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with pomp and pageantry on Tuesday, part of a White House effort to treat Riyadh as an important but problematic regional player in the Middle East and more as a cherished ally and trading partner. But despite Trump’s attempt to focus on US investment pledges in the country, Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record and the Trump family’s financial ties to the country have brought heightened scrutiny to the historic visit.

Tuesday was Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to Washington since 2018, the same year the crown prince is believed to have ordered Khashoggi’s killing. The Washington Post Writer Jamal Khashoggi. Both Trump and the Crown Prince deny the latter’s involvement, which contradicts US intelligence.

Under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has accelerated its brutal crackdown on dissent, and this year alone, the country has dramatically increased the number of executions it carries out. However, Trump praised the Saudi crown prince on Tuesday, saying: “What he did is unbelievable in terms of human rights and everything else.”

Trump thanked the Crown Prince for his previous pledge last May that Saudi Arabia would invest $600 billion in the United States. However, Mohammed bin Salman suggested on Tuesday that this pledge could be raised to as much as $1 trillion, a figure previously floated by Trump that is roughly equivalent to the size of Saudi Arabia’s entire sovereign wealth fund.

The two leaders will also discuss other potential deals, including increased Saudi investment in American artificial intelligence, a US-Saudi defense agreement, bilateral cooperation in developing Saudi Arabia’s civil nuclear energy program, and Riyadh’s purchase of 48 F-35 aircraft from Lockheed Martin.

Read more in today’s Global Brief: Trump and Mohammed bin Salman reject Khashoggi’s questions to focus on investment.