Overview
- At a lavish state dinner, Trump formally designated Saudi Arabia a major non‑NATO ally as the White House staged a high‑profile rehabilitation of the crown prince.
- Washington and Riyadh announced a civil‑nuclear cooperation framework intended to enable long‑term projects under non‑proliferation safeguards.
- Trump said the U.S. will move forward on major defense cooperation, including authorizing prospective F‑35 sales to Saudi Arabia, pending required reviews and approvals.
- Mohammed bin Salman raised his U.S. investment pledge from $600 billion to nearly $1 trillion, as reporting also highlighted new ties between Saudi developer Dar Global and the Trump Organization.
- Pressed on Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 killing, Trump defended MBS as unaware while the crown prince called it an “enormous error,” and Saudi entry into the Abraham Accords remained conditioned on credible steps toward Palestinian self‑determination.