Overview
- President Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with full military honors in the first White House visit since the 2018 Khashoggi fallout.
- Trump rejected U.S. intelligence assessments linking the crown prince to Khashoggi’s murder, asserting MBS “knew nothing” and praising his human-rights record.
- The president approved future F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia and conferred an important non-NATO ally status, marking a significant shift in U.S. arms policy.
- Both governments highlighted a pledge by Saudi Arabia to raise planned U.S. investments to $1 trillion and announced new accords on civil nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
- MBS signaled interest in joining the Abraham Accords contingent on a clear path to Palestinian statehood, as rights groups and Khashoggi’s widow condemned the visit and Israeli concerns over advanced arms transfers persisted.