PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Tuesday angrily dismissed a question about the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, claiming the Saudi dissident journalist was “extremely controversial” and insisting the subject was only raised during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to embarrass his visitor.
“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you liked him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Trump said in the Oval Office as he presided over a pageant-filled visit for the de facto Saudi leader.
Trump went on to insist Prince bin Salman — who the CIA assessed likely ordered the murder wasn’t involved.
“He knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that,” Trump said, turning toward the crown prince.
The moment was the best illustration yet that the period of diplomatic isolation Prince bin Salman endured following Khashoggi’s murder is over. For his first visit to the White House in more than seven years, the crown prince was welcomed with all the trappings of a state visit, the highest form of American diplomatic reception.
His black Mercedes limousine was escorted onto the South Lawn by a team of dark horses as a military band trumpeted his arrival. A flyover of fighter jets that included F-35s – the jets Trump says he’s planning to sell to Riyadh – blared overhead. Later, Trump is hosting a black-tie dinner in the East Room.
Sitting in the Oval Office, Trump heaped praise on the crown prince, including for what he called his “incredible” record on human rights. The president touted new deals on Saudi investments in the United States, and affirmed his plans to sell the American-made jets, even as the crown prince stopped short of committing to some of Trump’s priorities.
And instead of merely glossing over the 2018 murder, which took place at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Trump took offense that the subject was raised at all during what he intended to be a splashy show of respect.
“You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump told the reporter, longtime ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce, who questioned him about the murder.
Sitting beside Trump, the crown prince appeared nonplussed by the discussion of his alleged role in the murder, which was committed by Saudi agents who later dismembered the US resident and Washington Post columnist.
“It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake,” Prince bin Salman said, going on to defend a Saudi investigation afterward.
“About the journalist, it’s really painful to hear anyone that been losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way, and it’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The crown prince added that Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps of investigation” and that “we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, Jamal Khashoggi’s widow, responded to Trump’s claim that her slain husband was “extremely controversial,” saying that was no reason for him to have been assassinated.
“This is not justification to murder him. Jamal was a good transparent and brave man,” she said in a statement to CNN, adding that “many may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press. The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband.”
The CIA assessment released in 2021 found the prince approved the assassination of the Washington Post columnist, though he has long denied any involvement.
“We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control of decision-making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi,” the report said.
During his first term, Trump largely shrugged off Prince bin Salman’s potential role in Khashoggi’s murder, though he described himself as “extremely angry and very unhappy” about the killing.
His successor, President Joe Biden, pledged as a candidate to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah.” But even Biden came to recognize the kingdom and its crown prince were too powerful and influential to ignore entirely. He flew to the country in 2022 in a mostly unsuccessful attempt to convince Saudi Arabia to increase its oil output.
Trump has actively sought to cultivate his relationship with the kingdom in his second term, visiting Riyadh in May to discuss new investments and security arrangements. His interest in the kingdom has drawn scrutiny for his family’s financial interests in the country, though he dismissed those concerns Tuesday. “I have nothing to do with the family business. I have left,” the president said.
Trump’s hope is that Saudi Arabia eventually joins the Abraham Accords, his signature diplomatic achievement, by normalizing its relations with Israel.
But Prince bin Salman made clear that wasn’t happening Tuesday, or anytime before a clear pathway exists for an independent Palestinian state.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords,” the crown prince said. “But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path to a two-state solution.”
So, too, was Prince bin Salman noncommittal when it came to providing funding to help rebuild Gaza. He said he was in “discussion” on the matter before Trump interjected to insist “it will be a lot.”
The crown prince did say he would increase Saudi Arabia’s investment pledge in the United States from the $600 billion announced in May to $1 trillion – a massive figure that’s nearly the kingdom’s entire yearly economic output.
Trump, meanwhile, seemed eager to provide new American assistance to Saudi Arabia, including a defense pact and an agreement that would help the kingdom develop a civilian nuclear program.
Mostly, however, he seemed intent on honoring the crown prince, who has consolidated power and is now the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler.
“I just want to thank you,” Trump said. “We’ve been really good friends for a long period of time. We’ve always been on the same side of every issue.”