Overview
- Trump hosted Mohammed bin Salman with full honors in the crown prince’s first White House visit in more than seven years.
- Trump said the U.S. will move ahead with selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia, a shift that triggers congressional review and tests Israel’s qualitative military edge as Pentagon officials flag technology security risks.
- MBS raised a prior U.S. investment pledge from $600 billion toward nearly $1 trillion, with announcements expected on AI infrastructure and civil nuclear cooperation alongside a Kennedy Center business summit.
- Trump publicly dismissed U.S. intelligence linking MBS to Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 killing while the crown prince called the murder a huge mistake, drawing criticism from human rights groups.
- Riyadh is seeking U.S. security assurances that experts expect could come via executive order, as Washington presses for Saudi-Israel normalization that the kingdom says requires a clear path to Palestinian statehood.